World's Worst Vampire
by ScarlettAngel2
Summary: Alfred struggles at being a vampire, until he gets help from a rather obscure demon. Rated M for blood, dark and sexual themes, and a lot of insanity. Monster (highschool) AU.
1. Prologue and Chart

Prologue

**A little prologue-thingy to my newest story. I also added an overview of the family trees and species in this story.**

xoxox

Most people are afraid of the dark.

Darkness means black.

Black means being unable to see, it means evil, the great Unknown, the colour of all things bad.

White on the other hand is a good thing to them.

White means pureness, an empty canvas to give meaning, a blank slate to start out with.

White means happiness, clarity, the combination of all colours combined.

I have always hated white.

For me, white means emptiness. Loneliness. Despair.

White means winter, snow and cold.

White means hurt, blindness, pain.

And pain in turn means red.

More than white, I despise red.

…Or, not exactly despise. See it as a love/hate relationship.

On one side, red stands for roses and warmth.

On the other side, red instantly leads to blood.

Rich, syrupy blood.

Dripping from the walls. Tracing down stone pillars. Staining my hands. Blurring my vision.

Cuts etched in throbbing flesh.

Screaming.

Red is also the colour of his eyes when….

Never mind.

…

Yellow is a nice colour.

Or not nice. Nice does not even begin to describe its beauty.

Yellow is summer.

Yellow is happiness.

Yellow is light.

Having yellow means being rich. It means never aching again.

Catching yellow is the difficult part.

Keeping it nearly impossible.

But if you use force, yellow will wither.

Yellow will die.

And dying means more blood on my hands.

More red, leading to more pain, leading to more white.

Happiness is suffering.

Suffering is life.

And life is the cause of my dilemma.

That one question, always haunting my dreams, hiding at the edge of my sanity.

How do you possess without breaking?

How do you fight without hurting?

How do you live when you cannot die?

But the most important question of all.

Why is yellow all I can think about lately?

/

Family Tree and Species Chart

**Vampires**

_Family Jones-Williams_:  
>-Sam JonesUncle Sam: husband of Lilith, adoptive father of twins  
>-Lilith Victoria WilliamsLady Liberty: wife of Sam, adoptive mother of twins  
>-Alfred F(oster) Jones: twin brother of Matthew<br>-Matthew Williams: twin brother of Alfred

_Family Lupei_:  
>-Vasilica Lupei<br>-Vladimir Lupei: adopted brother and half demon

Alice Vaduva  
>Richard McKinney<br>Eric Johnson

Mrs. Khemet: teacher hunting theory

**Magic users**

_Family Kirkland_:  
>-(Lady) Anglia KirklandThe Britannia Angel: half angel/half sorceress, mother of Henry and grandmother of five  
>-(Lord) Henry Kirkland: mage, husband of Jane and father of five<br>-(Lady) Jane Kirkland: forest nymph, wife of Henry and mother of five  
>-Allistair Kirkland: mage<br>-Patrick Kirkland: mage and twin brother of Finn  
>-Finn Kirkland: mage and twin brother of Patrick<br>-Dylan Kirkland: mage  
>-Arthur Kirkland: mage<p>

Emma Jansen: witch and sister of Mogens (see miscellaneous)

Elizabeta Héderváry: wicca, potions master and clairvoyant

Lukas Bondevik: sorcerer

**Werewolves**

_Family Beilschmidt_:  
>-Alfher Beilschmidt: alpha of the pack<br>-Gilbert Beilschmidt  
>-Ludwig Beilschmidt<p>

**Miscellaneous**

__Family Augustus-Vargas___:  
><em>-Remus Romulus Augustus/Grandpa Rome: ex-muse turned ghost and grandfather of two, headmaster of the school  
>-Lovino Vargas: muse<br>-Feliciano Vargas: muse

_Family Zwingli_:  
>-Vash Zwingli: species unknown<br>-Lili Zwingli: species unknown

Mrs. Akantha: history teacher, species unknown

Antonio Fernández Carriedo: coco (Spanish bogeyman)

Mogens: necromancer and brother of Emma (see magic users)

Roderich Edelstein: angel of music

Sadik Adnan: jinn

Yao Wang: shape-shifter

Im Yong Soo: trickster

Feliks Łukasiewicz: species unknown

**Demons**

Ivan Braginski: ice demon (?)

Honda Kiku: kitsune (Japanese fox demon)

Francis Bonnefoy: incubus (sex demon)

Herakles Karpusi: cat demon


	2. Chapter 1: Red

Chapter 1: Red

**Welcome to the first chapter of my newest story: World's Worst Vampire!**

**I'll try to make this a weekly update, at least for now. Also: some minor Twilight-bashing. I don't exactly hate the series, but I think we should be able to make fun of it. Hey, my motto is: either you can laugh with everything or nothing at all.**

**And this story might not seem M yet right now, but we'll get there. Believe me. :) I've planned for this to be quite long (don't know how long exactly, but a lot more than twenty), and there will be time for comedy, for drama, for romance, perhaps a bit of horror or angst, and for other stuff as well. I really hope you guys will like it.**

**Now, without further ado, let's dive in!**

xoxox

_**Story of my life**_

_Vasilica Lupei. Now that is what you would call a Model Vampire. The man has style, he has class, wits, charms, and a good sense of humor. Because hey, humor is important, right? But I digress._

_So, anyways. Vasilica Lupei. He's like a celebrity at school. Gets all the girls swooning over him, people stare at him as he walks by, going "Hey mister Lupei sir, sign my breasts?" And he's like "Yeah sure, with my teeth!"_

_I hate him. I hate everything about him. I hate his guts, I hate his red eyes, I hate his fucking accent that is perfect when it comes to being a vampire, because everyone freakin' expects you to have a lame accent, amiright? I hate his red eyes (yeah I realize I already said that), I hate that stupid little hat that defies gravity, I just don't even know anymore._

_So. Yeah. You're probably asking "But AV, how could anyone hate a guy so perfect?" Blegh._

_Well, here's your answer. I hate him because I'm supposed to become this guy. I'm supposed to be all red-eyed too, to have all the girls falling for me and stuff. But reality can be a real bitch sometimes. Because I'm just plain ol' me._

_Yeah, gotta go now. School and stuff. Probably failing all my subjects._

_Bye._

_-American Vamp-_

Alfred F. Jones logged off his computer after finishing the blog entry. He pushed his glasses aside to rub his tired eyes. The teenager was already exhausted, and school hadn't even started yet. It was going to be a long night.

He dragged his ass out of the chair and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, after which the boy studied himself in the mirror hanging from the wall. Electric blue eyes with only the faintest hint of crimson (if you looked real hard). A pale skin, but not as pale as some of the other's. At least his teeth were a brilliant white.

"Al, are you coming?" sounded his brother's voice.

"Yeah," Alfred answered, trying to comb his unruly hair. After working on that stubborn cowlick of his and giving up – because really, what's the point? The thing was never going to do what he wanted it to anyway – , he jogged down the stairs.

"Evening," he said, feeling reborn as the scent of coffee tickled his sensitive nose – vampires could drink other stuff besides blood, but they needed the red liquid for nutrition.

"Good evening Al," a voice came.

Alfred dramatically jumped to the side, clutching his non-beating heart.

"Jesus Mattie, you gotta stop appearing out of nowhere like that!"

Matthew stuck out his tongue before walking over to the breakfast table. His twin's hair was a shade darker than Alfred's and he had a funny little curl sprouting from the top of his head to replace Alfred's cowlick.

"Good evening kiddo," their uncle said. He turned a page of his newspaper while Alfred sat down and pulled a mug of coffee close. The teen nearly drooled at the rich and earthy aroma.

He and his twin brother Matthew were currently living with their so-called aunt and uncle. Sam Jones was a nice guy, one of the kind and ever-righteous type of people. And he had a thing for collecting and studying planes of all kinds. His wife was Lilith Victoria Williams, but everyone called her Lady Liberty. She was one of those vampires that went way back, part of an ancient family tree, dating from who knows when.

Well, Alfred guessed the other vampires knew, but he hadn't been paying any attention in his history class. Not that he wasn't interested in history, but his teachers only focussed on the vampire's point of view. Alfred wanted to know about the history of other monsters too, maybe even some human history! But again, that was beside the point.

The two brothers were living here as some sort of adoptive children. The couple had been nice enough to take in the two freshly transformed boys, roaming the streets of New York City. The kids were forever grateful for that.

Alfred never went searching for his real parents. Probably wouldn't recognize them either way. But that was just a thing you weren't supposed to do, being a monster. Everyone knew humans couldn't be trusted, you weren't allowed to hang out with them more than needed. That was like the number one rule of the monster society. All they were good for was being delicious and making some pretty darn good movies. Alfred liked going to the movies.

"You boys are turning eighteen this year, right?" his uncle suddenly said.

Alfred glanced up warily. He knew where this was going.

"Yes uncle Sam," Matthew informed him.

He was feeding the polar bear in his lap some mackerel. It wasn't unusual for monsters like them to have strange pets, so everybody had quickly grown used to the talking animal.

"Are you excited for the ritual?" Lady Liberty inquired from the kitchen.

Alfred tried to blend in with his chair. By 'the ritual', Lilith was referring to the Coming of Age Ritual that every monster had to go through on their eighteenth birthday. On the day of the ritual, you became a fully functioning and recognized part of the monster society. It was a big honour, and everyone looked forward to it, and yadeyadeyade.

Alfred hated it when they brought the subject up, because it only reminded him of how hard he sucked at being a vampire. No pun intended.

Matthew shot him a quick glance before smiling shyly. "I'm very excited, auntie Liberty."

Of course he was. Because other than Alfred, Matthew had actually hunted before. His once mauve eyes now had a burgundy edge to it, speckles of red colouring the irises. He was no longer a 'virgin', as they called it. Alfred on the other hand… Let's say he still needed his blood bags from the local blood bank on a weekly basis.

"What about you son? Think you're ready?"

Alfred sent his uncle a hero-smile, showing off two rows of dazzling ivory teeth.

"Sure, I'll manage!"

They all knew it was a big lie of course. Nobody had ever failed as hard as Alfred had at being a vampire. He was the worst vampire in the history of sucking and failures and whatnot. But he still kept his head up high, not giving a damn about what others thought (most of the time), and kept marching onwards.

Uncle Sam nodded and finished his coffee. He folded his paper and gave Lady Liberty a small kiss on the lips.

"I'll be back tomorrow in the late afternoon. Johnson's called in sick and I have to fall in for him."

His hand paused on the doorknob. He turned to look at his adoptive son.

"Alfred, know that I am proud of you. Whatever happens."

Alfred swallowed the sudden lump that formed in his throat and nodded. His uncle smiled at the sunny blonde and left the house.

Whatever happens. Yeah right. Everyone knew that if you didn't pass the Coming of Age Ritual, you got kicked out, became an outcast, forced to roam the streets and look after yourself. Other monsters were banned from interacting with you or showing you any kind of mercy.

It didn't happen that often. After all, the ritual was no biggie. That was for non-failing monsters at least.

"All right boys, time for you two to get to school!"

xoxox

Ah, school. Also known as the Creatures Institute of Renewed and Classical Education Keepers. But ever since a couple of students had started calling it Crack (using the first letters of some of the words), everybody had taken to plainly naming it Monster High. All the kids got their education here, no matter their species, breed or origin.

The school had various departments, where each species had separate classes. Vampires learnt about stuff vampires needed to know, there were the classes for demons, werewolves, magic users like witches and sorcerers, fairies, ghosts, and so on. And of course Alfred was only taught stupid stuff like everything that had something to do with hunting, history through the eyes of vampires (admittedly, the wars were kinda fun to learn about), gym (one of the few classes they all had together), literature and poetry that had vampires in them (and no, no teenage fantasy novels *cough*Twilight*cough*), first aid in case the hunt went wrong, basic math that could be helpful during the hunt, foreign languages, lessons in sneaking up on others, standard dental care, how best to seduce a human into submissiveness, and so on.

Alfred didn't like going to school. Was it too much to ask for some regular math and sciences? Heck, Alfred didn't even like math, and yet he missed it somehow. Maybe he did like it in his previous life. As in, the life before he got turned, the life of which he had absolutely no memory. But that happened to everyone who got bitten by a vampire. Your past life became a faint memory, something that was just out of reach. The only thing you knew when you woke up after the transformation, was your name, and the fact that you had no home to return to.

Luckily for him, he hadn't been alone. Or not lucky, since he didn't like his brother getting hurt.

But then uncle Sam and Lady Liberty had found them, and wholeheartedly taken them in. Alfred was still extremely thankful of the two. That's why he felt extra bad about disappointing them.

"Hey loser! Over here!"

Alfred looked up to see an albino werewolf waving at him. He casually sauntered over to his odd group of friends. Because hey, it wasn't because they had separate education most of the time that they couldn't hang out outside of class.

The albino slapped him harshly on the back, all the while letting out a really weird laugh (something in between a bark and a snicker). His name was Gilbert Beilschmidt, known throughout the entire school as the biggest ego-tripper the world has ever seen. It really made you wonder how Ludwig, his little brother, had turned out so serious and well-disciplined. The wolf had two pointy ears on top of his head, a furry grey tail, he referred to his long-nailed hands as paws (for no apparent reason other than that he was half animal), and his sharp teeth weren't just for show.

Standing next to Gilbert was the oh-so British Arthur Kirkland, a mage with messy blond hair and amazingly green eyes. He was incredibly good at both White and Black Magic, but most of the time, he couldn't keep it under control. One might say he was on the same level of failure as Alfred, if not for the fact that he could conjure up the greatest things on a good day. If only he would use his magic to get himself a new set of eyebrows, something Alfred loved to tease him about.

There was also the incubus Francis Bonnefoy, BFF of Gilbert and some sort of frenemy of Arthur's. Alfred tolerated him most of the time, but occasionally hated him with all his might. The sex demon had a thing for trying to grope and seduce anything that had a heart, beating or not. Alfred had even heard stories of him attempting to make out with a potted fern at a party once.

And last but not least, there was Kiku Honda (or Honda Kiku as he would introduce himself). He was some sort of Japanese fox demon called a kitsune. He was usually quiet and stoic, but when he got heated up, he literally did so. Even Alfred's stone-cold body could get scorched when the small Japanese boy got angry. Kiku had white ears and a foxtail, because apparently Japanese celestial beings were usually coloured a divine white. Other than that he looked like a normal kid, with chocolate brown eyes and a neat haircut.

There were a few others that tended to hang around their little group. For example, Antonio Fernández Carriedo, a friend of Francis and Gilbert's, and a coco (the Spanish equivalent of the bogeyman). You also had the Vargas brothers, the only two male muses that had ever set foot in Monster High. Kiku's friends Heracles Karpusi (a cat demon) and Sadik Adnan (a jinn) could also be seen on occasion. Arthur had Lukas Bondevik as a fellow sorcerer, and Gilbert liked to tease (read: bully) Roderich Edelstein, an angel of music. Only without the white mask covering half of his face. Get it? Because the other angel of music is-

Know what, never mind.

They also had some sort of weird wicca-ish stalker-lady (Alfred hadn't really bothered figuring out what exactly she was). Her name was Elizabeta Héderváry, the girl who always had medicinal herbs and a deck of tarot cards at the ready. Once, Alfred had walked up to her to ask why the heck she kept following them around. The girl then told him she had a feeling she could get some shots of 'hot, passionate sex' if she stuck to them. Alfred made sure to stay out of her way after that.

Gilbert liked her for some reason. He was a weirdo.

And as the glazing on the cake, Matthew was there too. Alfred loved his brother, he really did. It would just make him a little happier if the ritual wasn't becoming a daily topic of conversation.

"I see you're still a virgin, kid!" the albino cackled.

He got smacked up the head by Arthur for that. His forest green eyes looked sympathetic, but he tried to hide this emotion beneath furrowed caterpillar-like brows.

"Don't listen to him, Alfred."

Francis tried to grope his ass, but stopped when Alfred almost broke his arm.

"Ohonhonhonhonhon~, it is not my fault your terminology gets me interested. I _am_ a sex demon after all."

"Good evening, Alfred-kun. Did you sleep well?" the kitsune asked, giving a tiny bow as a form of greeting. Even though the Japanese was the shortest out of all of them, he was actually an upperclassman. As were Arthur and-

Alfred narrowed his eyes, zooming in on the figure appearing from around the corner.

Vasilica Lupei. If Alfred was the worst vampire, then Vasilica was the best. The students instinctively moved out of the way to make room for their superior, basking in his stupendous glory. He wasn't a bad guy, really. He liked to joke around, everyone loved his pranks and charisma, and he was kind to the younger students (including the American twins). Also a good dancer.

Alfred just couldn't help but hate him.

Vasilica slowly opened his wine-red eyes, making a couple of girls faint at their beauty. Pitch black pupils noticed Alfred's little group, and his lips curled up into a grin, unveiling razor-sharp canines. He skidded over to where they were standing, the gravity-defying hat on top of his strawberry blond hair swaying ever-so-slightly.

"Alfred, Matthew, how very good to see you!" he said, accent perfect for a creature of the night.

"I heard you are taking part in the Coming of Age Ritual this summer?"

Matthew nodded, and Alfred grumbled something incomprehensible.

"Well, as they say: break a tooth, or die trying!"

The senior was about to leave again when Gilbert stepped forward. They didn't know it, but he was about to ask the stupidest question ever.

"Hey Vas, there's something I've been meaning to ask ya!"

The vampire turned around, thin eyebrows raised in question.

"And what is that my red-eyed colleague?"

The albino wagged his tail, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Is it true that vampires sparkle?"

He then cackled loudly, paws clutching his stomach.

If he didn't have his headlights closed, he would have seen the psychotic twitching of Vasilica's eye.

He also would have seen the fist coming straight at his face.

The werewolf yelped as he was sent flying towards the wall, body crashing heavily against the bricks. He tumbled to the ground in an unruly mess of fur, limbs and broken teeth.

Vasilica didn't give him the time to recover. In the blink of an eye he was next to the other, dragging him up by the scruff of his neck. He then continued to bash the wolf's head against the ground, superhuman strength helping him greatly. He found satisfaction in the amount of blood colouring the floor.

Then he talked, underlining each word with another meeting of face-to-linoleum.

"Don't."

BASH

"Ever."

BASH

"Mention."

BASH

"Twilight."

BASH

"Again."

After three more collisions for good measure, Vasilica got up. He wiped the dust off his jacket, careful not to step in the crimson liquid. He then turned towards the onlookers.

"Now I have to go. Good day to you all!" And with that he skipped away, whistling a jolly tune.

Gilbert let out a sad little whimper. He tried to stretch his muscles, failed miserably, spat out another tooth, and then began crying. Since he was a wolf, it was more like an obnoxiously loud howling. The blood in his mouth didn't help either.

Alfred sighed. Gilbert really needed to learn not to challenge Vasilica anymore. Sure, vampires and werewolves were at peace right now, but that didn't mean there wasn't any danger of a possible World War III breaking out at any given time.

Alfred knew Gilbert did it for his sake. Nobody would say it out loud, but that annoying egocentric narcissist was actually a great friend.

If only he would learn his lesson.

"Who's bringing him to the infirmary this time?" Alfred groaned, quickly stepping away when the werewolf tried to clutch his legs with blood-soaked paws.

Right then, the wolf's brother appeared. Feliciano Vargas, who was with him, fainted on the spot at seeing the amount of damage done.

"Bruder, what did you do this time?" Ludwig sighed.

Gilbert wailed, teeth already growing back. Which hurt. A lot.

"He said something stupid to that Romanian scum again," Arthur mentioned, rolling his eyes.

Ludwig grabbed both his brother and the Italian muse and swung them onto his back.

"I'll take them. And don't you have to go to class?"

Francis tried to grope Alfred's ass again. This time, the sunny blond did break his arm.

Yup, another uneventful day at Crack High.

Alfred was about to leave for class when a shill was sent travelling down his spine. Which was rather odd, since he was a cold-blooded creature. He slowly turned when he heard the chattering in the hallway dying. His bright blue orbs narrowed.

The students quickly moved aside to make way for the newcomer. Not because he was popular or someone highly respected. No, they moved out of the way because they were frightened of him. He was a high-class demon after all. On top of that, there was something… off, about him. No one could say what it was that made their pulse quicken, their instincts set on run and hide. The guy just oozed danger, even though he smiled all the freakin' time. He was mysterious, creepy, and above all, unpredictable. And people don't like unpredictable.

But everyone knew of the being that was Ivan Braginski.

Small patches of ice were created where his feet treaded on the floor, as if marking his territory. A gush of cold made the teenagers cover their ears and noses, body parts already flushing red. His walk was slow and casual, hands folded behind his back. His skin even paler than that of a vampire's, perfect for a being of winter. He was always clothed in warm sweaters and pullovers, no matter the season. Glowing amethyst peeked from beneath folded eyelids, secretly observing his surroundings. A long scarf draped over his shoulders, preventing clouds of breath from escaping.

Alfred warily followed his movements, muscles tensing and trying to hold back an adrenaline-induced hiss. The logical part of his mind told him there was absolutely no reason to fear the guy. He had never hurt anyone, or at least not as far as they knew. But Alfred was one to trust his instincts, and they were screaming for him to stay away from this fella.

Their gazes met for the tiniest of seconds. A memory flashed in front of his inner eye, making the hiss that had threatened to come out finally spill.

Matthew pulled him back by his arm, alarmed by his brother's dominant behaviour. Ivan simply smiled that creepy little smile of his, before continuing on his merry way.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Arthur seethed, fluorescent green spheres narrowed to angry little slits.

Alfred simply shook his head, unable to speak of what had come over him. The memory was still there, buzzing through his mind.

xoxox _Flashback _xoxox

_Alfred bent through his knees, eyes focussed on the basket. He jumped in the air, stretched his arms, …_

_And missed completely, the ball bouncing off of the backboard._

_The others either booed at him or laughed their obnoxious little laughs._

_Alfred groaned in frustration. Gym was one of the only classes he was good at. Since it was a mixed class, the other vampires didn't get to tease him as much. You see, being a virgin meant you weren't up to full potential yet. This lead to all of the others being a lot stronger, faster, and more suave than him. Well, the suave part was just him being dorky, but let's not get into that. Still, the other monsters liked to rub it in whenever he messed up. Wouldn't want Alfred forgetting he was the only pure soul left in his year, now did they?_

_Alfred frowned at the ball he had picked up again._

'Bunch of hypocrites_,' he thought._

_Every time he made a goal, yes, THEN they liked him. But when he didn't, he was the failure once more, the scapegoat they could blame all of their mistakes on._

_Someone messes up a test? Alfred's fault._

_Guy gets dumped by his girlfriend? Alfred's fault._

_Someone gets diarrhoea? …You get the picture._

_He still had friends, but if only he could prove those other suckers wrong…_

_Prove to them that you didn't have to be a stone-cold killer to be a good monster. That refusing to chase after the innocent didn't make you a lesser person._

_But that was the whole problem. Because in this society, you had to. And it did._

_Alfred tightened his grip on the ball, nails digging into the leather. He catapulted the damn thing away in a sudden fit of rage, but again, it was sent flying in the wrong direction._

_The students were about to laugh once more, when they noticed where the ball had landed._

_Alfred held his breath as the round object stopped in front of Ivan's feet._

_The demon was sitting by the side-lines. He never joined the class, busying himself by reading a book or watching the others play._

_Now, his violet eyes looked up from the novel laying in his hands, a light frown finding its way to his perfectly shaped brows._

_He gently closed the book and got up from his seat, other students keeping a watchful eye on him. He took hold of the ball and studied it, as if never having seen such a thing before._

_Then he looked at the vampire, and smiled._

_Alfred wanted to run away when the icy demon began walking towards him, but something kept him rooted to the spot. Were it his pride, fear, or maybe curiosity, Alfred didn't know. He also didn't have time to think, as the older boy was taking large strides to reach him._

_Adrenaline was racing through his body by the time the tall creature was before him. The other could possibly smell it. Possibly being the key word, because no one really knew what Ivan could and couldn't do, where his sensory limits laid. He was indeed a mystery._

_Ivan held the ball in front of the blond's blue orbs, demonstrating how he covered it in a thin layer of ice._

_The next action was almost too fast for the eye to see. Humans would probably miss it._

_With one swift throw, the ball moved from Ivan's hands to the basket, snugly sliding through the net._

_Ivan smiled at the smaller guy, showing off his snow white teeth._

"_Be more careful, da? Someone might get hit next time."_

_They didn't know if he was referring to himself being the one hit, or the hitter. Probably the lather. And next time, he would probably be throwing heads instead of balls._

_That was the longest sentence Ivan had ever uttered to him. But each and every word had been imprinted in his brain, leaving behind a scalding mark of warning._

_No one at school had ever seen Ivan angry or violent. But no one wanted to be the first to witness it, so they all steered clear of him._

xoxox

"Alfred-kun, we must get to class now," a voice suddenly called him back.

The blond looked at his friends, noticing their wary and worried glances.

He smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, let's."

xoxox

**First chapter done!**

**There's a lot of explaining in this chapter, but I still tried to keep it to a minimum. If you feel there are things left unexplained (like why exactly Alfred is World's Worst Vampire), don't worry: it will be dealt with in later parts.  
>I've made Alfred a lot more cynical and stuff in this story, but he's going through puberty, so I guess it makes sense. Don't worry though, there will be plenty of time for him to be his enthusiastic little ADD self. :)<br>And for those of you who don't know: Vasilica is Romania.**

**Hope you guys liked it, please let me know what you think about the concept, and hopefully see you next chapter!**

**Oh yeah, and in this story I want to make a suggestion of one song and other fanfiction per chapter. Just because I can and want to.**

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: The Ballad Of Mona Lisa - Panic! At The Disco  
>Story: The zombification of Ivan Braginski - ProcrastinatingPalindrome (A one-shot in which Ivan and Alfred are zombies. Surprisingly fluffy.)<strong>

Words:

Bruder: Brother  
>Da: Yes<p> 


	3. Chapter 2: Desher

Chapter 2: Desher

**Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!**

xoxox

Electric blue eyes were having a staring contest with the ceiling.

The class he was currently in was called 'Hunting: A theory'.

Yippee.

"Now who can tell me how long it takes for our venom to reach its full potential?"

The teacher's eyes scanned the room, seeing no volunteers. Alfred tried to make himself as small as possible, blending in with his chair. But to no avail.

"Alfred. Mind giving me the correct answer?"

Everyone turned to gape at him, waiting for a chance to mock the only virgin in their midst. The blond straightened his back and folded his hands in his lap. Were he still human, he would be sweating like a sinner in church right now.

"Um… About a minute?" he tried.

As if on cue, the students burst into laughter. Alfred scowled at them, keeping his lips pursed tight.

The teacher sighed and succeeded in calming down her pupils.

"Matthew, can you give me the right answer?"

The teenage vampire visibly jumped when his twin brother seemed to magically manifest himself in the chair next to his.

"Up to ten seconds, Mrs. Khemet(1)," sounded his soft voice.

She nodded approvingly.

"Very good. The moment our teeth sink into the flesh-" She made a little drawing to illustrate her words. "-the venom starts spreading. Other than most toxins, our venom is so poisonous it instantly attacks the nerve system. The victim usually loses the will to fight back the moment he or she gets bitten. Within four seconds, their body goes numb. After ten seconds they are fully paralyzed, unable to push off or get away from the attacker."

The woman smiled. "We are perfect predators."

Someone at the back of the class raised his hand.

"But teach, aren't there instances in history where the venom didn't work fast enough or where the victim could still push its assaulter off, even after getting bitten?"

Mrs. Khemet nodded. "I see someone's been paying attention in his history class."

She turned towards the blackboard again and wrote down a couple of words.

"First of all, our venom has different effects on different species. For humans, as we all know, it works as some sort of stunner, a sedative. For werewolves it is deadly. Hence the gravity and amount of casualties in the Lunar War of '59. It has absolutely no effect on demons, despite perhaps that it feels a bit 'ticklish' to them."

Alfred snorted. He could vividly remember that one time where Vasilica had tried to punish Francis after getting his ass groped by sinking his teeth into the incubus. The French demon had only cried out in pleasure, probably traumatizing the senior vampire. Alfred pitied him that day. Francis really could be a handful.

"Now, normally the toxins make our victims unable to do anything but accept their inevitable fate. There are however times when it doesn't work properly. There can be several reasons for this happening. Maybe the vampire has been eating unhealthily, not getting the proper amount of nutrition for their venom to stay up to the best quality. Maybe he or she has bitten the victim in the wrong place, giving them enough time to try and escape. Not that they can~"

A bit of laughter.

"Or maybe-" She turned towards the class with a knowing mien. "Maybe it's just a really stubborn bag of meat."

This drew out more chuckles.

Alfred furrowed his brows. He didn't like her referring to human beings as mere food. After all, weren't they all human at some point? How could everyone forget so easily? True, Alfred had absolutely no memories of his before-life. But he probably wouldn't have liked being so looked down upon.

"Is everything all right Al?"

The teen looked to his side, once again surprised when he saw his brother there. That unique mixture of mauve and burgundy now had a worried zest to it.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about. Everything's all perfectly dandy and swell."

The class was then ended by the ringing of the bell.

"Alfred, I want to speak to you for a moment," the teacher said before he could even think about making his escape.

Matthew laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed encouragingly, before leaving to see what Kumajiro was doing. The American vampire sunk back in his chair, hands folded in his lap, eyes wandering around the room.

The walls were painted a broken white, artistic swirls and carmine roses decorating the corners and edges. The cabinets and bookshelves were filled with useless crap, or at least as far as the blonde was concerned.

There was one single thing that Alfred didn't understand about the room, a mystery so to speak. Near the back of the classroom, standing right beneath the window, was a single big-stemmed sunflower.

No other plants but that one piece had ever stood there. The strange part was that even though no one ever seemed to be concerned about the flora, it was beaming with health. Alfred never noticed anyone taking care of it. He had asked Mrs. Khemet once, but she told him she didn't know whose it was either. The plant had just appeared one day. Since it was such a nice flower, she had chosen not to worry about it.

"Alfred, can you come up here?"

The boy shot back to the present. He jumped out of his chair and walked over to the teacher's desk. The woman studied him with a kind yet grave expression in her eyes like liquid chocolate.

"Can you guess what this is about?"

The sunny blond inspected his nails, deliberately not looking his teacher in the eye. He could hear her sigh.

"Alfred, you are turning eighteen this year, and still you haven't succeeded in one single hunting session."

He cringed at her harsh words, but she mercilessly kept going.

"I just don't know what to do with you. It's not that you're not a smart kid, I _know_ you can do better than this. But you aren't even trying!"

She placed a hand under his chin, forcefully tilting his head up. His eyes jerked to the side, not daring to meet her stern glare.

"Tell me, Alfred. Why are you being so stubborn? Why refuse to hunt? Why don't you co-operate in my classes, even though they are very important for you education?"

As if he could tell her. As if he could tell anyone.

"I_ have_ tried…" he mumbled, frowning defiantly but still keeping his eyes fixed on the blackboard.

She pursed her lips, keeping in a warning growl.

"Trying is not enough in this case. We are talking about a matter of life and death here, stupid boy! Do you want to be and outcast? Fail the ritual?"

He quietly shook his head. The woman sighed once more before finally releasing him.

"Look, Alfred. I'm only telling you this for your own good. I am worried about you. So please, keep trying. Don't give up hope because of one failed attempt."

She smiled gently.

"You're a good kid, and I don't want to see one of my students thrown onto the streets."

He hesitantly smiled back at her, successfully hiding his real emotions.

A good kid, she called him. If only his teacher knew just how spot-on her words were.

"Don't worry, Mrs. K. I'm just a late bloomer."

She patted him on the head.

"I really do hope so. I really do."

xoxox

Alfred and Matthew were walking home together, side by side, not saying a single word to the other. Alfred was, very uncharacteristically, in deep thought.

"What did Mrs. Khemet want to talk about?" Matthew inquired, trying to start a conversation.

His twin was unusually quiet. Normally he would talk on and on about the biggest nonsense, excited like a little kid over anything and everything. Today however, the sunny blonde almost seemed depressed.

Matthew had to pose his question two more times before finally drawing out a response.

"Huh?" Alfred jerked his head up, bewilderedly looking around him.

"What are you thinking about?" came a voice.

Two sets of eyes looked down at the polar bear cub that had only just awoken from its slumber.

"What am I thinking about?" the teenager repeated, lips twitching up in a grin.

He accidently stared up into a streetlight, temporarily blinding himself before answering.

"I'm thinking that I could try hunting again tonight."

Matthew's face lit up for the smallest of moments before deflating again.

"Good luck, Al."

His brother shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Matthew secretly studied him from the corner of his eyes. He too worried for the other's well-being. Everyone did, although it was disguised by incessant teasing.

But Matthew was the only one who had seen his twin right after one of his many attempts at being a full-fledged vampire. Because he really did try, unlike popular belief.

Each and every time the blond had been caught by him sneaking into the house after another failed hunt, Matthew tried asking him how it went. All he got were glum glares, eyes that looked dull and disappointed, and a bitten "I don't wanna talk about it." He didn't know what happened for his brother to react like that. He did know that Alfred wasn't ever going to inform him.

"Don't tell them."

Matthew's red-soaked eyes glanced at the other. By 'them' his twin meant their caretakers.

A tiny smile graced his features.

"I won't, Al. I promise."

xoxox

The sunny blond was sitting on top of the roof of an apartment building. He was half-concealed by the night's darkness, but couldn't hide himself completely.

His yellow locks looked less bright in this lighting, paled considerably to aide in his disguise. But his eyes could fool no soul, living or undead. The vivid blue was glowing, turned luminescent even. It made him look mysterious, like a mythical being. But above all, it made him look dangerous. A predator you'd best avoid, but couldn't help but to be drawn to. They weren't as demanding, as mighty as a true vampire's. But they would do the trick if used correctly.

Alfred sat crouched on the edge of the roof, letting his gaze wander over the streets below him. A white shirt could hardly cover up a very muscled adolescent body, how his skin was rock-hard to humans yet smooth to his fellow monsters. His back forming an elegant curl, ready to jump straight into action at any given time.

From up here, he could easily zoom in on all the possible prey down below. See the little dusts of breath that clouded the late autumn's air. Count the wrinkles in their foreheads. Smell the different spectra of emotions, all blissfully unaware of the creature so high above them. Feel the pulse in their necks…

Alfred felt a shudder travel down his spine, his pointy canines aching to bite into succulent flesh. He tore his gaze away from an especially delicious smelling girl and jumped backwards onto the roof. He pushed his forehead against the cool stone wall, arms hugging his body tightly.

"Come on, Jones. You can do this," he tried to encourage himself. "You just need to focus. You're a vampire, dammit! You're not allowed to get distracted."

He closed his eyes, letting his nose sniff out the scent of that one girl again. Immediately he began mouth-watering, at which his shining orbs shot open.

This was it. He had to do it.

No turning back.

Alfred peeked over the low wall and instantly caught sight of his prey of choice. It was a young girl, about fifteen years of age. Her red curls danced on her back, bouncing on her swift stride.

Alfred pushed away his disgust at wanting to see this stranger's blood so badly it set his throat on fire.

Focus.

He hopped over the edge and let his body slide against the wall, easily reaching the ground while going completely unnoticed by possible curious onlookers. He quickly pulled on his old bomber jacket to look less conspicuous among the coated crowds, returning home from a night shift or perhaps a party.

That jacket was one of the only things he still had from his previous life. That, his glasses, and an old name tag from the army around his neck that read 'John Smith'. Could've been his father, could've been a pseudonym or something. Alfred didn't know.

The bomber jacket was one of his greatest treasures. Real vintage. The outside was a brown leather, a white fifty on the back of it, letters only slightly cracked with age. There was soft and warm wool on the inside – well, the blond figured he would have experienced it as warm in his past life, when he could still feel temperatures.

He put his nose against the familiar fabric and breathed in. His olfactory organ was hit by freshly mown grass, mint toothpaste, a faint hint of tobacco, rich and earthy soil, pine trees, and the overpowering smell of hamburgers. He could only guess his past self loved the food. Couldn't blame him. Even now he liked to pick one up every now and then, though it did absolutely nothing to ease his hunger. He could eat whole mountains of the things without feeling the tiniest bit full. One of the perks of being a creature of the night.

Smelling his jacket calmed down his overheated mind. Yes, the lovely aroma of her blood still caressed his nostrils, but now he could think more clearly again. Try to figure out a strategy to get her alone somewhere.

He almost gagged when his brain registered what he had been thinking, feeling sick and twisted at the mere suggestion.

But he _had_ to do this. He had to prove that he was worthy of this life. Not only to his teacher and fellow monsters, but also to himself.

Back to the hunt.

Alfred discreetly made his way through the masses, rapidly gaining ground on his prey. He was in luck today, the girl had apparently chosen to take a shortcut through some dark alleyway. Foolish human, didn't she know that was never a good idea?

Now was his chance.

Alfred slipped into the alleyway behind her, making sure he didn't look suspicious in doing so. The girl was already halfway through the small street. She wasn't going to get much further.

With only five hurried steps he was behind her. She could sense his presence, but it was already too late.

Far too late.

He used his right hand to slam her against the wall, brute strength pulsing through his arm.

The teen let out a gasp when her head met the bricks, temporarily disrupting her vision. The quickened heartbeat sounded like music to his ears, a symphony for his hungry mouth.

The impact made the girl lose a tiny bit of blood. It was all that was needed to make the blonde go insane with thirst. Like a shark in a frenzy, red covered his eyes, a buzzing sound in his ears.

He bent over and let the tip of his nose graze against her collarbone, almost nuzzling in the crook of her neck. He felt connected with her through the contact, making one line of blood flowing, nurturing the pulse, the beat beat beat beat beat-

The girl finally realized what was happening and started crying. She tried pushing him off, but to no avail of course.

"No, please… Stop it…"

Her plea never reached his numb ears. He was fully led by instinct now, only focussed on gaining satisfaction. Logic had left him. All that counted was that terrorizing heat coming from her body, and the promise that it would ease his thirst. The tip of his nose wandered up and down her throat, searching the best spot to perform his act.

She let out a loud sob, trembling with fear and agony. He felt the venom filling his mouth as he parted his lips and moved closer to-

"Help… Me…"

Two words.

That was all it took. With just two words, the young woman had just saved herself from a certain death.

Because of those two little words, Alfred immediately came to his senses. His eyes snapping open, the teenager froze.

The instinct of a monster is a very powerful notion. Almost no creature can resist the urge to feed once he or she is overcome by it.

But there is a reason that Alfred's nickname is World's Worst Vampire. You see, it has nothing to do with clumsiness, or stupidity, or him not paying attention in his classes. Even being a virgin wasn't the real issue here. Well, it was for the other monsters, but him being pure was actually a consequence of the real reason. A secret reason, something Alfred had never told anyone. Not only because it was embarrassing, but because it was wrong. Something a monster wasn't allowed to do, something that would get him kicked out of the monster society faster than he could say 'whoops'.

For on top of his primal instincts, Alfred had a second nature. Something that prevented him from hunting, that obliged him to preserve some sense of humanity, as silly as that may sound for a monster. An instinct that overpowered both his mind and body, one he simply couldn't ignore.

It was the instinct of… Well, of being a hero. It sounds very childish, but that's the best way to describe it.

Alfred could never hurt the innocent, could never kill, could never allow himself to be overcome by the needs of his vampire nature. He had somehow kept his ideas of right and wrong from when he was still human, and therefore he would never be a successful hunter. He had no qualms with drinking blood from bags, but biting someone went against his somehow still-existing soul.

Now, vampires didn't need to kill their prey every time they went out hunting. Just a few sips was usually enough to fill them up for at least a couple of days. It was only for longer periods of time that they drank more blood. But even biting – without killing – an innocent human being, seemed repulsive to that hero-side of his.

Alfred had tried to ignore it so many times already. But each and every single hunt again he was forced to abort the mission, sometimes at the last possible second. Much like now actually.

Humans would see the beauty of his gift, would be more than happy with a 'sensible' vampire. His colleagues… Well, it was his little secret for a reason. If it ever came out, becoming an outcast was inevitable. And since being an outcast meant you also couldn't just buy blood bags anymore, it would most likely lead to death by slowly dehydrating and starvation.

It was forbidden because not only was he destined to fail the Coming of Age Ritual like this, but it also meant he would forever remain a virgin. And being a virgin meant you didn't get the cool vampire skills, it meant that you were in fact only a little better than a human. And being only slightly better than a human wasn't good enough to keep your place in the monster society.

He had no future unless he learnt to control it, to push away his true self.

But not tonight.

Tonight, the boy found himself letting go of his prey with a shocked expression on his face, eyes wide with horror and mouth agape. He clasped a hand over his nose to stop himself from going crazy over that seductive aroma of hers.

The girl's cheeks were stained with tears, sobs still escaping her lips, pure fear written all over her face.

Alfred slowly shook his head, stumbling backwards until he met the opposing wall.

"I-I'm sorry!" he spat, startling the both of them. He knew a mere apology wasn't going to save his soul, nor would it ease her nerves.

'_I have to get out of here.'_

He spun on his heels, fell, scrambled back up, and sprinted out of the alleyway, the terrified expression on his victim's face burnt into his memory, guaranteed to haunt his dreams the following days.

He couldn't do it. How could he ever hurt such a sinless being?

He blindly raced through the streets, putting as much distance as possible between him and the crime scene, ignoring the queer stares he got. Adrenaline pushed him on, panicky thoughts further rousing him.

'_What have I done?_' he thought.

The inner conflict was too big. One part of him was mad at himself for letting such an easy kill slip away. Another (considerably larger) part was infuriated that such thoughts even existed within his mind.

It was too much.

Guilt. Remorse. Betrayal towards his own kind. Disgust. Thirst. Responsibility. Fear.

He was only one guy, and the feelings were becoming too much to handle.

Alfred suddenly halted in the middle of a cemetery. Didn't even know how he got there.

His wobbly legs brought him to the nearest tombstone and urged him to sit down. He hid his face in his hands and let out an exasperate groan.

Another failed hunt. Another wave of guilt and nausea.

Life really did suck for World's Worst Vampire.

xoxox

Now that he finally gave himself some time to calm down, he noticed the cold. A thick mist swirled around on the ground, a chilly frost biting into his skin.

Why could he feel the cold?

An agonizing scream cut through the night's serenity.

Alfred instantly bolted upright. A part of him wanted to jump to the rescue, but another part told him he had already done enough 'good deeds' for the day. He shouldn't get involved. He was a vampire, not Superman.

But when the man screamed again, his legs started sprinting towards the source of the sound on their own accord.

Fuck being a monster. He was Alfred freakin' Jones, and he wasn't about to let a murder happen right under his nose!

He jumped over a fallen tombstone, racing after the faint smell of fear.

In his haste, he didn't notice the small snowflakes dancing through the air.

The blond found his target; a man lying on the ground. He immediately crouched down beside him.

"Dude, are you all right?" he asked, swiftly scanning him for any injuries.

"M-monster!" the human wailed.

Alfred impatiently clacked his tongue.

"Dude, I only wanna help-"

"No, behind you! There's a monster out there!"

Alfred tensed when he saw a figure approaching them. His eyes shot back to the man.

"Okay dude. You run, I'll distract him."

"But-"

"Now!"

Alfred jumped up and full-on tackled the tall guy to the ground.

The crowds went wild, fangirls cheered as he basked in victory…

In reality, as soon as the two bodies collided, Alfred was almost immediately overcome by the cold. Instead of tackling the other to the ground, he was easily pushed off and pinned to the earth himself.

Alfred opened his mouth to let out a hiss, but then he froze once he saw just who exactly the other was.

Violet eyes were scorching with rage as they looked down at him. His lips forming a disapproving line, hair messy and scarf half-on-half-off his shoulders. Alfred could count the other's whitish eyelashes from this close proximity.

"Alfred," his icy voice sounded, having lost all childish playfulness.

"Why are you stealing my kill?"

The sunny blond blinked dumbly, brain having to take a moment before being able to comprehend the question. He looked at the man – or at the place where the man used to be. For he had successfully escaped.

Alfred swallowed and grinned sheepishly at the demon towering over him.

"Hi there, big guy!" he tried to laugh it off.

His laugh was turned into a yelp of pain when Ivan increased the pressure on his wrists, agonizing chill cutting its way straight through his bones.

"I am not going to repeat myself, _Alfred_." His name was said with such hate it made the vampire shudder in dread.

He quickly tried to explain himself, realizing he couldn't all the same.

"Look, I wasn't trying to steal your kill-"

"Do not lie to me."

"But I'm not!"

Alfred held his breath when Ivan brought their faces close. Cold sweat would have broken out under the way his violet spheres studied the boy's face, as if trying to find the truth in those features.

"I swear," he added, hoping the demon wasn't going to rip him to shreds or fully freeze his intestines.

He sighed in relief when Ivan straightened his back and let go of his wrists. He was still crouched over him, but now looked a lot less menacing. There was even some sort of… wonder, in the way his eyebrows were raised and his eyes had gone questioningly wide.

"Then what were you doing?"

Shit. Now what was he supposed to say? He couldn't just tell him the truth.

"_Hey Ivan, guess what? Instead of killing people, I save their asses from hungry demon scum like you!"_

Nope, never gonna happen.

"I was… bored?" he tried, playing innocence incarnate.

Ivan curiously tilted his head.

"What does being bored have to do with preventing other creatures from feeding?"

Alfred laughed a bit hysterically.

"Guess you're right! Silly me. No idea what I was thinking."

Ivan narrowed his eyes. Alfred could almost see him thinking, see the mechanisms in his brain trying to come up with a solution.

This was bad. This was very bad.

Alfred had no idea how smart the icy demon was, but he didn't want to find out either.

"Look, I'm sorry he got away, but can you please let go of me?"

"Nyet."

Alfred huffed.

"I don't speak your commie language dude."

Ivan showed his snow white teeth.

"Do not insult my land, mahl'-cheek. Or I will tell you everything that is wrong with this capitalist country."

Alfred was about to retort when Ivan laid a numbing cold hand over his mouth. Alfred's muffled protest was cut off by the senior's next words.

"And let us not digress, da? There are more important matters to discuss."

He brought their faces close again, glowing violet locked with anxious blue.

"I know what you were doing."

Alfred's heart skipped a beat, he just knew it did, when their noses all but touched.

"It almost looked like you were rescuing him."

The world stopped spinning and for a moment, Alfred could really feel the sweat making its way down his body.

He had been found out.

He was so fuckin' dead.

The blond frantically shook his head, but Ivan simply grinned, eyes twinkling with glee.

"Do not worry little one. I will not tell anyone about this encounter."

This made the teenager pause.

…Huh?

Why?

Ivan giggled.

"Your face is very easy to read, da? Like one of those books that has pictures in them."

He straightened his figure a second time.

"I have nothing to gain from 'telling on you', I believe the expression is."

Alfred simply blinked at him, not trusting his own ears.

Ivan smiled that creepy little trademark-smile of his.

"But if you ever prevent me from feeding again, I will break every single bone in your body."

And with those words he went away, leaving behind a trail of snow and a very stunned teenage vampire.

xoxox

**The plot thickens… Or something like that.**

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: You're Gonna Go Far, Kid - The Offspring  
>Story: Giving In - Artificial Starlight (A must read for lovers of RuCan.)<strong>

1) Mrs. Khemet is the personification of Ancient Egypt.

Words:

Desher: Red (Egyptian)  
>Mahl'-cheek: Boy<br>Nyet: No


	4. Chapter 3: Roșu

Chapter 3: Roșu

**Happy New Year everybody!**

**A little bit of extra info, because I don't know if (or when) I'll be able to incorporate this into the story.  
>If a vampire bites a human, they can get away unharmed (unless the vampire decides to kill them of course). For a human to become a vampire, the vampire has to let the human drink his own blood.<br>Thought I'd clear that one out for you. Other questions will most likely be answered in later chapters, but don't be afraid to ask if there's something bothering you.**

**I also updated the summary-thingy, so you guys know better what to expect.**

xoxox

Alfred swiftly made his way home. The sun was about to rise, and that was never a good time for a vampire to be out and about. Sure, their kind didn't burn to a crisp like stories often wanted to make you believe, but it did slow them down, drained their energy and made them dizzy and sluggish.

Usually there was absolutely no need at all for a vampire to be outside during the daytime. School and work all took place in the course of the night, and most of the time it was arranged so that there still were plenty of hours left to go hunting afterwards. Or, you know, to go hang out with your friends or something. Do some homework. Play some games. Normal stuff.

The sunny blond reached his aunt and uncle's house. The first rays were already breaking through on the horizon. Alfred squeezed his eyes shut as he was blinded by the sun. He hissed at the fiery ball before looking up at his bedroom window. He knew this way in all too well.

With one smooth jump the teenager launched himself into the tree opposite of his window. Grabbing a branch he swung himself into a crouching position. Tip-toeing over the wood, the tree only slightly swayed under his weight. The window was already ajar, as if awaiting his arrival.

Definitely his brother's doing.

Alfred reached out and pushed against the glass, further opening the window before jumping over and letting his body slide into the room.

Before he had the time to close the window behind him, the sound of soft footsteps reached his ears. The boy didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.

"How did it go?" came his twin's worried voice.

Alfred shrugged, nervous tension in his shoulders as he slammed the window shut, mentally wincing when he remembered the presence of his probably sleeping aunt.

He could hear Matthew move closer, but no touch came, no hand on his shoulder or hug from behind, no "I understand" when really, nobody ever would.

Instead, his brother muttered a quiet "I made you some cocoa."

Alfred spun on his heels, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

Indeed, there in the other's hands was a mug with warm chocolate milk, a few soggy marshmallows drifting about, the unmistakeable scent of maple syrup accompanying the drink.

Blue locked with mauve, the silent questions answered in their brotherly union.

_Why?_

_Because we're family._

A tiny smile broke out on the teen's face. He accepted the hot beverage, nurturing it between pale-skinned fingers.

"Thank you," he muttered, words almost inaudible.

But Matthew heard them, him being used to speaking in a soft voice.

"You're welcome, Al."

At that moment, Kumajiro came strolling into the room, asking for its owner's attention. Matthew quickly went over to pick the cub up, giving Alfred the chance to taste his drink. The scalding hotness flowed down his throat, warmth going completely unnoticed by his supernatural senses. But the taste remained. Alfred would absolutely hate being a vampire if all he could taste was that red liquid. At least now he could still find comfort in food, as if reminding himself that despite his non-beating heart, skin complex and raised senses, he was still human somehow. Even when every single monster seemed to forget that little fact, he would always remember.

Matthew laid a hand on the doorknob, about to go back to his own room. The timid voice of his brother made him pause.

"Hey Matt, do you have any experience with… with- you know… demons?"

The slightly smaller teenager looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised.

"Al, we go to a school filled with creatures of all kinds. Everyone has at least a little knowledge on demons. Heck, one of our friends is an incubus!"

"Yeah I know, that's not what I meant. I was talking about a… a specific demon."

Matthew fully turned to face the other. Alfred was scowling at his mug, as if having difficulty with sorting out his emotions.

"Who, Al?"

The blue-eyed vampire's eyebrows formed a perfect V. Apparently he had chosen for anger with this particular creature.

"While I was hunting, I met someone at the cemetery. He- we talked for a bit."

Suddenly his head snapped up, rage instantly replaced by the highest concern.

"Mattie, please tell me. You pay better attention in class. When a demon gives you his word, does he always stick to it? No cheatsy I'm-gonna-try-and-wiggly-my-way-out-of-this-one?"

Matthew gave his twin a quick once-over, alarmed by his words. The teen didn't look hurt in any way, so he couldn't have gotten into a fight with someone.

Had his foolish brother made a pact with a demon? Why?

"No, they stick to their words… But they can get very literal about it. Even when you think you've got it all under control, they'll find some new way to interpret the contract to their own benefit. They'll say it isn't a contract breach, since the words can be read so-and-so. To sum it up, you only make deals with a demon at your own risk."

Alfred hung his head, swirling the milk in his mug.

"Yeah, I figured it'd be something like that."

Matthew studied his features, worried for the other's well-being. He carefully chose his next words.

"Alfred, if there's ever someone bugging you, you know you can tell me, right?"

Alfred smiled his hero-smile, demeanour changing in a flash so as not to further worry his brother.

"Hey, don't worry 'bout it bro! I just felt like asking for, you know, future reference 'n' stuff! I'm no fool, I'd never make a contract with a demon!"

This of course didn't include said demon to make a promise to _him_ instead. Alfred was going to be so fucking screwed if Ivan decided to retract his decision on not telling on him.

"Sleep well, Alfred."

His smile faltered only for the tiniest of moments.

"You too, Mattie."

xoxox

_**Demons**_

_You know what I hate more than Vasilica Lupei? Demons. They're just big douchebags who think they're better than the rest, think they rule the school and that other monsters should get on their hands and knees for them._

_But I'm not talking about your average demons here. No incubi or succubae (huzzah for online dictionaries and spell-check), no elemental or mythological demons. Because those ones can be easily identified. They've been studied so that other creatures know exactly what to expect whenever they meet one (wow, looks like I do pay some attention in my classes at times)._

_No, I'm talking about the other kind. The kind that exists of unidentifiable individuals (look at me using long words!), the kind that can't be classified at all. The mysterious kind, whose real abilities can only be guessed at. They're the real scumbags. Especially since nobody knows whether they're dangerous or not._

_So my advice: never trust a demon._

_That's all I wanted to say for now._

_-American Vamp-_

Alfred sighed as he logged off. He didn't really know why he even bothered with writing these things. He only had about a handful of followers, and none of them ever took the time to leave a comment.

It just felt good being able to tell what was on his mind, without anyone laughing at him, being overly concerned, or trying to give him useless advice. And it definitely beat having a diary. He was waaaaaaaaaay to masculine to ever own such girly shit.

He should really try and get some sleep right now. Were he to open the heavy windows blocking out the sunlight, he would be able to see the yellow orb burning fiercely in the blue skies.

But he just couldn't help but racking his brains over Braginski.

What had the guy been thinking, simply letting him go like that? True enough, the demon himself indeed had not a single thing to gain from telling on him. But it was his duty as a creature, as a functioning part of the monster society! Had they been caught by anyone else, Ivan would've been just as much to blame as Alfred himself.

The vampire groaned. Ivan was a puzzle that would take way too much effort to try and solve. Hadn't Churchill said something like that about Russia before? Something with puzzles and enigmas(1)? In any case, this demon was the reason he had written the blog entry.

The boy had mentioned elemental demons in it. At first glance you would say this Slavic specimen was obviously an ice demon, what with his ability to create snow and ice and his ever-cold body temperature. But he wasn't. Because on top of his frosty powers, he had shown signs of other supernatural abilities.

Elemental demons were solely restricted to their element. Fire demons could create and use fire, water demons had water, and electric demons had electricity. But Ivan could do more.

No one knew how much more exactly, but he could and he would. Plus you had the fact that the Russian fed on blood and flesh, not on souls, dreams and thoughts, darkness or specific emotions like fear (or sex in the case of incubi and succubae), like others his kind.

Alfred knew this for a fact, having encountered the ashen blond once while he was feeding in an abandoned building somewhere at the outskirts of town. Alfred had immediately left him to his own devices of course. Demons could get quite grumpy when you disrupted their snack time. But the memory of him sinking his teeth into a woman's shoulders, the sound of ripping and wet squelching and sucking remained.

So yeah, no weird food for Ivan. Just flesh and blood. That of course didn't make him any less of a possible biohazard.

But as long as he kept his word and no one had seen them at the cemetery, all was well.

Which brought him back to the real problem.

What the hell had he been thinking, trying to save a human who was clearly being hunted on?! Nothing, that's the answer. At that moment he had been acting purely on instinct, not giving the consequences a minute's thought. He was just so incredibly stupid.

A knock on the door brought the teen back from his musings.

"Al, you awake? It's almost time for breakfast."

Great, already?

"Yeah, I'm coming."

xoxox

Alfred was completely on guard that day, in case Ivan_ had _spilled something. But no one treated him any different, gave him funny looks or tried to drag his ass to court.

Huh. Apparently the icy demon had kept his word after all. Alfred hadn't actually expected him to do that.

Weird. But good nonetheless.

"Vasilica!"

The sunny blond looked up to see a little boy leaping into the senior vampire's arms.

Said little boy was Vladimir, Vlad for short, Vasilica's baby brother(2). He was a vampire as well, but with a touch of demon blood running through his veins. Luckily for the kid, because if he were a pure-bred vampire, he would have to stay a little boy for the rest of his life. Their species didn't age like humans did, after all. Demons could age, but they were able to stop the growth process more or less at own will. After all, how could an incubus seduce someone when he looked like a wrinkled old geezer?

"Hey there Vladdy!" Vasilica giggled, twirling the boy around, making him laugh hysterically.

"How is my favourite brother in the whole world?"

"I'm fine thanks! I came to bring you your homework, you forgot it again this morning."

The strawberry blond gratefully accepted the gift, although the other students probably would have been more than willing to share their tasks with him.

"Thanks Vlad! Silly me, forgetting my things…"

At that moment his wine red eyes fell upon the younger vampire spectating from across the hallway. His lips twitched up in a grin.

"Alfred, my friend!"

The teen did his best not to let his eyebrow twitch. In what universe were he and Vasilica Lupei friends?

"I want you to meet my little brother!"

He skidded over, skilfully holding the child on his right shoulder. Little Vlad looked up at Alfred, big curious eyes studying his appearance.

"This is Alfred! He is a vampire just like you and me squirt! Come on, say hi!"

The boy partially hid his face in his brother's shirt, overcome by a sudden shyness like only a kid could be.

"Hi there kiddo," Alfred tried to encourage him. How could he ever be mean to such a cute little monster, even if he was family of the Romanian?

"No need to be shy Vladimir. Be polite to our fellow monster!"

At this the boy revealed his face. His eyes were an innocent baby blue, showing he still had many years to go before his first hunt. He had shaggy brown hair, two bits sticking out in a funny yet adorable way. The kid was dressed in an oversized coat that looked like it had been through a lot, patches covering the entire surface. On top of his head wiggled a little hat, exactly like his brother's. When he grinned and uncovered his tiny canines, he looked like a little angel.

"Why aren't your eyes red?" were the sweet words that escaped his lips.

Okay, scratch that whole 'he looked like an angel' thing. This boy was the devil's child.

"Vladimir, don't be rude! That's not a very nice thing to say at all!" Vasilica scolded him.

"It's still true…" the child pouted, puffing his cheeks in the cutest of ways.

Vasilica looked up, about to apologize for his brother's behaviour. Alfred was already waving his apologies away, being the hero that he was.

"No biggie. Kids are curious about literally everything."

Vasilica smiled at his words, although a flash of concern shot through his crimson orbs.

'_Concern for what?_' Alfred wondered.

Vladimir was pulling at Vasilica's sleeve, asking for his attention.

"Vas, are you going hunting again tonight?"

Vasilica shook his head.

"Not tonight Vladdy. Don't worry. I will have to by the end of the week however."

Vladimir visibly deflated, his lower lip beginning to tremble. Vasilica gently cooed at him, trying not to further upset the boy.

Alfred was studying the spectacle with great interest, more than a little confused by what had gotten the kid to start sulking. The older vampire noticed him staring and felt the need to explain himself.

"Me and Vlad live all by ourselves. So whenever I go out hunting, he has to stay home alone."

"I hate that," the little boy muttered.

"I know Vladdy, I know."

Vasilica smiled, although it looked nothing like his usual smirks.

"I try to hold myself back as much as possible, but sometimes I simply have to go out hunting."

This because vampires could only use their supernatural abilities with a regular intake of fresh blood, straight from a human's veins. Blood from blood bags helped in getting nutrition, but you only got super strength and speed and whatnot from fresh liquid.

Alfred was more than a little taken aback by the senior's blunt words. He and Matthew had been lucky enough to have been adopted almost immediately after their transformation. But they had been one of the lucky few. More often than not, new-borns had to look after themselves. They could always ask help from the monster society, but when you have just been transformed, you often don't know where to get that help.

So following Vasilica's words, the vampire had been living by himself up till the point where he found his new sibling. He must have taken the boy in, knowing it was going to be a hard task taking care of him while also going to school _and_ go hunting from time to time. Alfred knew for a fact that the two weren't biological brothers, not like him and Matthew, so it must have been something like that.

Huh. That was actually pretty heroic. Unexpectedly so, but still.

This of course didn't mean Alfred suddenly liked the other, but yeah. That was a pretty cool thing of him to do.

Hence the reason he was now blurting out a proposal, mentally slapping himself in the face.

"I could take care of him."

Both senior and little boy looked up at him, eyes big and questioning. Alfred hurriedly explained himself, wildly gesturing at the empty spaces around him.

"I mean, you know, during the hunt. I live in a pretty big house, and I'm sure Mattie wouldn't mind helping me babysit. That way you can go hunting without leaving the kid alone for so long. And I won't ask for something in return, I'm not a professional after all."

Vasilica slightly tilted his head, contemplating the offer. He looked at Vladimir, who seemed equally shocked by his sudden kindness.

"What do you think squirt?"

Vladimir bit his lip, big blue eyes looking up at the ceiling.

"I don't know… I guess it is better than having to stay all by myself…"

Vasilica smiled encouragingly.

"Come on Vlad. I'm sure you and Alfred will get along just fine. This would actually work out great, now I can go hunting more often without having to wait until my powers are almost drained!"

Vasilica definitely had an excited air around him, thinking of the prospects of such an arrangement. Vladimir still wasn't convinced.

His baby blue jewels locked with Alfred's slightly more piercing ones.

"Are you sure there's blood to drink at your house?"

Alfred forced a grin onto his face.

"I promise, kiddo."

Vladimir slowly nodded, then smiled.

"Okay then."

Vasilica was almost doing a tap dance, very happy with their agreement.

"This is great! Thanks Alfred, you're a lifesaver!"

The wheat-coloured blond felt a warm glow spreading through his body. Not actually warm of course, but it's the idea that counts.

Yes, he didn't like Vasilica all that much. But he just couldn't resist doing heroic deeds.

Vladimir seemed more happy now that his brother was so ecstatic. He looked at Alfred once more, features back to angelic and curious.

The teenager really hoped this kid wouldn't prove to be a lot of trouble.

"I'll drop him off this Friday evening if that's good with you, then we can work out a schedule. Okay, bye!"

And with that he skidded off, leaving Alfred behind.

He really hoped this was going to be easy as pie.

xoxox

Alfred was practically drooling as he pushed his face flush against the glass, worshipping the hamburger stalled behind it. It was a beauty of a burger, the bun a perfect shade of golden brown and crispy deliciousness, the meat cooked juuuuuuust right, sauces dripping over lettuce and tomatoes, tempting him, calling him, begging him to be eaten.

God, how he craved for it.

But should he buy it? He didn't really need the food for nourishment, and he was a little low on cash lately…

But it was calling him, he could hear it.

_Alfred…_

_Alfred…_

"Alfred!"

The sunny blond cocked his head to the side, looking unamused as his gaze caught a set of outrageous eyebrows.

"You're holding up the line, you twit! If you want to eat that piece of garbage so badly, just pick it up and move your fat ass out of the way!"

Alfred pouted.

"That's mean Iggy. I'm not fat just because I like fast food."

The Brit impatiently clacked his tongue.

"I don't care! Just choose already, some of us _do_ need food and are practically starving!"

Alfred sighed dramatically.

"But I don't have the money for it…"

Before Arthur could start scolding him again, the small Japanese boy popped up next to them.

"Alfred-kun, if you promise to lend me that new game you purchased, I will buy it for you."

Blue eyes immediately started flickering with youthful delight.

"Really Kiku? You mean it?"

The teen nodded, a graceful smile around his lips.

Said smile disappeared when Alfred leapt forward, capturing the boy in a bone-crushing hug.

"Thanks Keeks! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Kiku yelped and, being the kitsune he was, instinctively caught fire.

Alfred shrieked (in a manly way of course) as two scorching hands pushed against his chest, him letting go in a flash. He looked down, finding two burn-marks on one of his favourite sweaters.

"Geez Kiku, it was only a hug. You really are bad with physical contact huh?"

The Japanese bowed his head in shame.

"Sumimasen, Alfred-kun. I lost control for a moment."

Arthur hit them both up the head with a book.

"What was that for?" the vampire yelled indignantly.

"If you don't start moving this instant I'll turn you both into toothbrushes!"

After that little interruption, Kiku paid for Alfred's hamburger and the three boys found a table in the middle of the canteen. Alfred hungrily sunk his teeth into the bun, savouring the taste and texture.

Lunch started on an uneventful note, Arthur and Kiku talking about their classes, Alfred eating his burger. But after five minutes or so, the sunny blonde couldn't shake the feeling that somebody was watching him, laughing behind his back. A look over his shoulder proved the opposite, so he simply tried to shrug it off and continue eating.

"Better not eat too many calories fatso, or no one will want your virginity."

Alfred's head shot around in bewilderment, but he couldn't locate the source of the pestering voice. He stole a quick glance at his two companions, but they were still eating and chatting peacefully.

Was he just getting paranoid?

The burger did look a lot less appealing though…

He laid it back on his plate with a sigh.

"What's wrong Alfred?" Arthur asked, finding his lack of appetite highly suspicious. "Normally you would have already finished the whole thing."

The teenage vampire shrugged. "Dunno, just not that hungry."

Arthur was about to speak up again, but something made him pause.

Alfred found it strange how his jaw dropped, his emerald orbs went wide with shock, his brows shot up to disappear behind messy golden locks. What had gotten the mage to gain such a funny expression?

Not a moment later he knew.

Because there was suddenly a bag of blood being emptied over his head.

He squeezed his eyes shut as the red syrupy liquid covered his face, trailed down his neck, and stuck to his hair. He could almost feel the astonished looks of his friends burning into his soaked skin.

A snicker, followed by a whisper in his ear.

"This is what a real monster drinks, fair maiden. So open wide and suck it all up."

Alfred took a deep breath through his nose, trying to steady himself. His right hand was twitching with suppressed rage, wanting more than anything to grab the perpetrator and pull her head right off (yeah it was a girl's voice).

If only he were able to do that… Man, being a virgin sucked balls.

Alfred carefully opened his eyes when the table shook. Apparently Kiku had to hold the Brit back from cursing the living daylights out of his attacker, star-shaped wand waving dangerously and mouth spitting every single piece of profanity he knew.

The sunny blond took off his glasses and tried cleaning them on his sweater, only succeeding in further spreading the blood.

He sighed in frustration, ignoring the sounds of shouting and laughter surrounding him.

The teen didn't get a chance to look at the face of his attacker, but he didn't really have to. It was most likely a senior vampire, one of the kids who liked to bully him most of anyone. And they had chosen exactly the right time to pester him, since no teachers were around at the moment.

The burger really didn't look appealing anymore now.

All of a sudden, the ruckus died down. Kiku and Arthur stopped struggling, the laughing ceased to exist.

Alfred looked up for a moment, then back down at his burger.

Then immediately back up.

There, coming straight at their table, at _his_ table, was Ivan Braginski, hands folded behind his back, blissfully unaware of what had happened just a few seconds ago, smiling happily.

A sense of dread fell over him as the demon kept getting closer, not at all planning on changing directions. The Russian stopped right in front of him, standing so close the vampire had to lean back in his chair to be able to keep looking at his towering figure.

As if his day wasn't bad enough already.

Ivan's violet eyes studied the blood in his hair, on his skin and clothes, but he said nothing of it.

"Privet Alfred," sounded his voice. A voice which was way too high and childlike for a guy his stature.

The blond glanced around, as if hoping he wasn't the one being addressed. All he saw was gaping mouths and eyes about to pop out of their sockets.

He swallowed heavily and tried a grin, only barely succeeding due to his nerves.

"Uh, hi there big guy! Need anything?"

The demon's smile intensified, his shining spheres narrowing just a tad.

Alfred did not like that smile one single bit. It was the kinda smile that foreshadowed your inevitable doom.

"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

Wow, inevitable doom indeed.

The American teen went pale, his breath catching in his throat, his non-beating heart almost reviving itself just so it could skip a bit.

No freaking way.

For once in his life, Alfred was able to think fast.

So without further ado he jumped out of his chair, grabbed the Russian by his wrist (ignoring the chill that travelled through his bones at their touch), and ran out of the canteen, dragging a confused Ivan behind him and abandoning his awestruck friends and colleagues.

Alfred ran straight to the nearest bathroom, checking the stalls for any curious onlookers before calming down.

As he turned around to tell the other the coast was clear, a palm slapped him hard in the face, definitely leaving a mark on his left cheek. He squeaked and fell to the ground, hand coming up to rub the sore spot. His electric blue eyes shone fiercely.

"What the hell did you do that for Ruski?!"

Ivan smiled.

"I do not like to be dragged along, da? So you deserved punishment."

Alfred grumbled a bit before getting off the floor.

"Well sorry, but I had to! What on earth were you thinking anyway, talking about yesterday in front of like half the school, acting like it's no big deal at all?! We could've gotten into some serious trouble dude!"

Ivan merely kept smiling, pissing the shit out of the vampire. Either the guy was truly oblivious to his surroundings, or he just wanted to make Alfred's life a living hell.

"Look, whatever man. What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Ivan walked over to the mirror, studying a crack in the far-right corner. He let his thumb graze the broken glass, little particles of ice instantly covering the fracture.

When he looked back at the other, his eyes no longer held that childish innocence. They studied the boy at the other side of the room, sizing him up, as if looking directly into his soul. It was giving Alfred goose bumps, although that could also be from the low temperature constantly following the icy demon's every step.

"You see, Alfred-"

The boy gulped. The Russian's voice seemed to have dropped a few octaves since last time he spoke up.

"I changed my mind."

Alfred blinked sheepishly.

…What?

Ivan grinned at seeing the dumfounded expression on the blond's face.

"You truly are an open book! Really, it is so obvious what you are thinking!"

Alfred remained silent.

Ivan smiled. Not that trademark-smile of his, but something smoother, wider, more dangerous. Something that screamed predator. Especially combined with half-hooded eyes, glowing amethyst that seemed wise beyond its age.

As Ivan took a step forward, Alfred couldn't help but take one backwards. Ivan was unfazed however, as he simply continued moving towards his cowering figure. Alfred didn't stop either, not until his back hit the dirty wall behind him, probably smearing blood all over the tiles that were already covered in chewing gum and soppy love declarations.

He took in a breath, but found the oxygen freezing on his tongue, the cold seeping into his very core, making his body quiver and shudder. He clenched his mouth shut, refusing to let his teeth chatter. He wouldn't show any more weakness than he already had, even though he was pretty damn scared right now. Not that he would ever admit that.

The two creatures were now standing chest to chest, one completely at ease, the other looking ready to pass out, but bravely locking eyes with his superior.

Alfred was a lot of things, but not a coward.

"I said I changed my mind," Ivan continued in that low voice of his.

"But why?" Alfred managed to ask.

Ivan smirked and bent over.

Alfred was frozen to the spot as those thin lips reached the side of his head, frosty breath tickling his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Because I want you to be my little slave."

Alfred furrowed his brows. He did not like the sound of that at all.

And he was also seriously freaking out because of their closeness.

'_I can almost feel his heartbeat!_' his mind shrieked, temporarily distracted from the implication of the demon's words, finding more important business to deal with.

"Isn't slavery, like, forbidden?"

Ivan giggled, the sound resonating against his sensitive skin, feeling like ants crawling over the surface. Alfred tried to move his head to the side, getting more than a little creeped out. If his body wasn't feeling like it had been turned into a frozen popsicle, he would without a doubt have shoved the other off. No commie was allowed to lay his hands on Alfred F. Jones for crying out loud!

"Then look at it as me doing you a favour da? You do whatever I want you to do, and in return I will not tell anyone what happened at the cemetery."

Alfred hissed, clearly not happy with the arrangement.

Ivan finally moved his head back so he could smirk at the other.

"Or I could just go turn you in right now, little one."

Alfred paled visibly, though the colour was hidden behind dried blood.

"You wouldn't."

Another giggle.

"But you know, I realized something!" the Russian said. "I would love to see you suffer! Whether it be from you acting as my slave or being sent to court. It is your decision dorogoy."

Alfred clamped his mouth shut, eyes flashing defiantly.

He knew demons weren't to be trusted, he fucking knew!

Ivan moved back a few feet, at last letting the other recover from his frozen state of being. It was only then that Alfred realized the demon had indeed refrigerated his nerve system, leaving him unable to try and escape or fight back.

"Dude, no fair. You're not supposed to use your powers on me like that," Alfred sulked, trying to get his blood running again.

Ivan chuckled.

"So we have a deal da? Whenever I want you to do something, you do it. No exceptions."

The sunny blond opened his mouth to protest, but Ivan successfully cut him off.

"I am sorry comrade. But there is no such thing as compromise in Russia."

And with those words he left, once again making the vampire question his sanity.

"We're not even in Russia you asshole!" he yelled into the room, almost certain he could hear that obnoxious giggling from across the hallway.

Forget the blood, the failed hunt, the concern of his brother and the having to babysit on Vladimir.

This was absolutely the worst thing that could have happened to him.

xoxox

**Yep, less innocent Vanya in this story. :)**

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: Highway to Hell - AC/DC  
>Story: Let The Battles Begin! - AeonVicious (Russia tries to teach the other countries, mainly America, how to speak Russian. Comedy ensues.)<strong>

1) Quote by Winston Churchill (1939): "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest."

2) Vladimir is the personification of Moldova.

Words:

Roșu: Red (Romanian)  
>Sumimasen: My excuses<br>Privet: Hi  
>Dorogoy: DearDarling (can be used mockingly)


	5. Chapter 4: Aka

Chapter 4: Aka

**Let's see if Alfred is able to get into even more trouble!**

**And thank you guests for all the lovely reviews! To CandyCane460: I probably won't include the part about the vampires meeting humans from their past lives, since it's not the main focus of the story, but thanks for the suggestion anyway.**

**Also, when I said vampires don't remember anything after their transformation: the only thing that stays is their name, character traits (hence Alfred still wanting to be the hero), and the memory of the transformation itself. The reason Alfred and Matthew know they are twins is because they got transformed together, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to recognize each other (but since they're twins, they could have come to the right conclusion after getting to know the other). All the other memories are cut away to make it easier for the newborn to adapt to his new life.**

**Hope that answers some of your questions. :)**

xoxox

"What did he want from you?"

"He just… helped me with some homework yesterday! Yeah, so he only wanted to check if I had everything right. Totally."

…For some reason, they didn't seem to buy it. But nobody asked any further questions, so all was well.

Immediately after his creepy encounter of pure and utter horror with the Ruski, Alfred washed the blood out of his hair and re-joined his friends at their lunch table. Gilbert and Francis had arrived during his absence, and were now asking about his sudden disappearance.

Of course, Alfred couldn't tell them the truth.

"_Yeah so, I'm gonna be Ivan's bitch for a little while."_

He would throw himself off a cliff if anybody ever found out. The humiliation wasn't worth it. The homework-thing wasn't exactly a smooth lie, but it was all he could come up with at the moment.

"So why is there blood all over your sweater? Got a bit careless while eating?" the albino snickered.

He shut up after a sour glance from Arthur.

"It's not funny Gilbert. It was Alice(1) and her little gang of bloodsuckers."

Gilbert growled, his eyes flashing dangerously. He put a protective arm around Alfred's shoulders, who unsuccessfully tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

"Next time something like that happens, you just leave it up to me kid. I would be glad to sink my claws into their stupid faces."

Alfred finally escaped his hold, not at all pleased with the extra attention. He wasn't a baby. He could take care of himself perfectly fine, thank you very much.

"You weren't exactly in the neighbourhood when it happened," he grumbled.

The werewolf grinned at him.

"Don't worry Alfred. Once you get your superpowers, you'll be able to rip their limbs clean off! Just you wait, I know one day you'll be the strongest Arschloch out there!"

Alfred was strangely touched by his crude words. But since that was probably never going to happen, it didn't exactly lift his spirits.

Francis sighed dreamily.

"Ah, Alice. I would just love to see what her fantasies are like~"

For that he got hit by a disgusted Arthur. Francis grinned at him and sneakily wrapped an arm around the Brit's waist.

"Arthur, mon ami! Are you perhaps jealous?"

At this Arthur began blushing furiously, after which he promptly pulled out his wand to cast a spell at the dirty incubus. Too bad that the demon had fast reflexes, for he was able to duck and avoid the curse.

Kiku jumped out of the way just in time for said curse to dodge his figure and hit a small European girl seated at the other side of the canteen. Upon touch, she turned into a frog. This caused her big brother to go nuts, pull out a gun and start shooting at everyone who dared come near his sister.

Meanwhile, Gilbert and Alfred were rolling over the floor laughing, Francis couldn't breathe, Kiku apologized and fled the awkward scene, and Arthur was not looking forward to having to face the angry trigger-happy Swiss.

When the bell rang, Gilbert helped Alfred stand. The two boys were wiping the tears from their eyes, leaving Arthur to deal with the mess he made. Gilbert slapped him harshly on the back while barking out laughter.

"See you after class loser!"

Alfred grinned widely. This was exactly why he loved his friends.

They were a bunch of total nutjobs, and knew exactly how to make this living hell called school a fun place to be.

His bad mood and other problems were forgotten for the time being.

For the time being…

xoxox

Ivan was waiting outside his classroom.

Ignoring the whispering of his classmates, Alfred grumpily walked over to him.

"What do you want?" he sighed.

Ivan grinned.

"Very good, I did not even have to call you! You are like obedient little puppy da?"

Alfred clenched and unclenched his hands in his pockets, lips pursing tightly to hold back a snarky response.

"I have a job for you."

When Ivan laid a hand on the small of his back to guide him, he quickly shook it off. The Russian really had issues regarding personal space.

Ivan simply smirked and walked in front of him, bringing his slave to the gymnasium. Once there, the blond could see the entire field covered in ice.

"What the hell did you do?" he asked, eyebrows raising in astonishment.

Ivan hummed, his eyes sliding guiltily to the side.

"Let us say I had a little… accident."

Alfred did not want to know what a big accident would look like.

Ivan smiled and turned to him.

"But there is no problem da? Since you can clean it up now!"

Alfred took a moment to look at the field, then at the demon, then back at the field.

"…You're kidding, right?"

Violet jewels told him there was absolutely nothing but the truth in his request.

Alfred sighed, took a hold of the shovel handed to him, and began chopping away at the ice. Ivan casually sauntered over to the tribunes, took a book out of his pocket, sat down and began reading, every now and then commenting on the other's work.

After a little while, Alfred actually found himself enjoying the manual labour. At least now he could unleash his built-up frustration, hacking away like there was no tomorrow, without the need to hold back. Were he alone, he would be giggling like a madman, delightfully kicking at the broken pieces and finally letting out his inner strength.

Of course, he was still more than angry at the fact that he was even here to begin with, but it did help as a stress-relief.

The blond couldn't help himself from taking breaks to stare at the demon every now and then.

'_Why on earth did he change his mind? At the cemetery he acts like it wasn't a big deal, but then suddenly he starts spouting shit like "I want to see you suffer." What is that about anyway?!'_

Alfred sighed and wiped the non-existent sweat from his brow.

"Why are you doing that?"

He looked up to find violet eyes curiously studying his actions. Alfred shrugged, not very happy with the excessive attention.

"Force of habit I guess?"

Ivan frowned a bit at that, his head cocking to the side.

"But are you not almost eighteen? Should you not have gotten used to this life by now?"

The blond shrugged again. He quickly continued his job, not wanting this conversation to last.

Ivan opened his mouth as if to say something, but shut it shortly afterwards. He watched the blond a few seconds more before letting out a sigh and returning to his book.

'_He is such a strange boy.'_

Alfred was thinking something more or less among the same lines, only a little less decent.

'_Damn Ruski… First he betrays me, then he lets me do all his work, and now he fucking wants to meddle with my personal stuff! Wish I'd never met him…'_

Alfred answered a text message from his brother, telling him not to wait with dinner. This would probably last a lot longer.

When he was halfway through his task, his slave driver pulled out a bottle. Squinting his eyes, Alfred could barely make out the brand of vodka.

"Hey commie, isn't drinking illegal at our age?"

The Russian paused in his activity, looking more than amused at his comment.

"For your information _Alfred_, I am not a human. So that law does not apply to me. You are supposed to know this."

The sunny blond puffed his cheeks, a rosy tint colouring them.

"Whatever dude. But if a teacher says anything about it, don't tell me I didn't warn ya."

Ivan chuckled some more.

"You are funny company dorogoy."

"Can't same the same about you…" the vampire mumbled under his breath. Then in a louder voice: "And what the fuck does dorogoy mean anyway?"

The Russian looked back at his book.

"I will tell you some other time."

Alfred found it strange how the demon didn't want to answer this one question, but was overly responsive to all the other shit he spouted. He knew better than to dwell on that thought though, as the ice wouldn't cut itself away.

xoxox

"Okay, I'm done."

No response came.

Alfred looked up, finding the Russian completely indulged in his novel. He put away the shovel and walked over to the other.

"Hey, I'm done, so I'm just gonna…"

The American trailed off as his eye caught sight of the title.

_Russian Winter _by Daphne Kalotay.

Something about that title rang a bell. His eyes went wide when he realized where he had last seen that book. It was on the front shelf of the forbidden part of the library.

"Hey big guy, what're you reading?"

Ivan looked up, frowning at the distraction.

"Nothing you would be interested in."

Alfred crossed his arms at this.

"Says who?!"

The other's reaction made Ivan pause. He carefully closed the novel, big hands gently handling the thin paper. He then held the book out for the blond to see. Alfred slightly bent over, studying the cover.

"Is story about a ballerina," the demon began explaining, eyes closely studying the other's reaction. "It reflects on her past in Russia under the rule of Stalin."

Alfred nodded, taking in the details of the cover, following the curves of the letters, looking at this piece of _man-made_ art.

A real book… One that wasn't about monsters, one that told about human history.

And it was right in front of his eyes…

"Are you interested?" a voice called him back.

Electric blue shot up to lock with intrigued glowing amethyst.

"N-no! It's just that, that's from the forbidden section right? How did you get a book from there?"

Ivan smiled, but this time it didn't strike the teen as creepy.

"As if any of the teachers could ever stop me from getting what I want~"

Okay, scratch that. He was still creepy as fuck.

Ivan's smile faltered slightly, his features now growing more serious.

"If you behave, I could take you there."

Alfred's eyes went wide.

Him? Going to the forbidden part of the library?

He could just imagine all the wonderful pieces of human literature there, books about history, science, things that had absolutely nothing to do with magic and special abilities, maybe even some regular superhero comic books…

But he didn't like the wording the Russian had used. On top of that, going there with Ivan just sounded…

Wrong.

"No thanks Ruski. I don't need communists to get me there, neither do I need them to tell me what to do."

Ivan got back to smiling eerily at that.

"I must inform you Alfred, that the Russian Federation is no longer a communist country."

He teasingly swayed the book in front of the vampire's eyes.

"If you read books like this, you would know such a fact."

Still, Alfred stubbornly held his ground, refusing to give in to his own desires.

Ivan then finally looked around.

"I must say you did a good job. However-" He pointed at a little spot at the far-back, before turning to grin at his companion. "You missed a spot."

Alfred threw his hands in the air, swinging curses around while the other giggled happily.

"I don't care dude! I did what you asked me, now we're done!"

He was about to dramatically stomp away when something caught his foot. With an inelegant smack he hit the floor, limbs spread-eagle, accidently biting his lip.

"What the actual F…" he spat, swiftly turning to lay on his back. Or at least, that's what he tried. For he found he no longer had any control over his body.

A looming shadow warned him of the icy demon's presence. The teen cursed plentifully as a hand forcefully pulled him up by his jacket, dragging his paralyzed body across the floor. Ivan threw him onto the ground next to the final spot of ice left, before defrosting him. Alfred was about to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but stopped when seeing the almost murderous look in Ivan's eyes.

"You will do as I tell you, da? You are not to forget about our agreement so easily."

Alfred swallowed, but still had the courage to pose a question.

"Why?"

Ivan smirked, amethyst shining predatorily. He leant forward, once again invading the blond's personal space.

"Why what, little one?"

Alfred bravely kept going, not backing away this time. He felt bold in doing so, but others would probably describe it as just plain stupid.

"Why change your mind? Why do I have to be your little slave all of a sudden when yesterday, you didn't seem to care at all?"

The smirk left his face. Alfred shivered under the way those scorching eyes studied him, overcome by a sudden sense of déjà vu.

"I have my reasons," was the only explanation that left his mouth. After that he straightened his figure and, with a few swift strides, reached the door. He paused there, hand already on the doorknob.

"Alfred?"

"What?" the vampire grumbled, retrieving his shovel to get rid of that last remaining patch of ice.

"I really do mean it. About the library. All you have to do is ask."

Alfred looked up, but didn't dare meet the other's gaze. After a moment of contemplating the tempting offer, he gave a quick, almost invisible nod.

Ivan smiled.

"See you at school tomorrow."

He shut the door behind him with an audible click.

Alfred glared at the offending piece of wood, as if trying to burn it down with his eyes alone. He slowly walked over to the ice, thoughts racing through his mind.

What were Ivan's reasons? Why the fuck did he say yes to that proposal? Now he would only have to spend even more time with the scumbag! Why was he such a loser?

But above all, why did Ivan do the things he did? What was the key to unlocking his motives and personality?

Alfred really didn't have a clue.

xoxox

Alfred flopped down on the bed with a heavy grunt. He pulled a pillow close and hugged it tightly to his body.

"Seriously Keeks, school sucks balls."

A hum behind him warned of his friend's presence.

"Gomenasai Alfred-kun. I am sorry I could not help."

The sunny blond rolled onto his back, so as to take a proper look at the kitsune.

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it. It wasn't your fault, so you shouldn't blame yourself for it."

Kiku sat down on a cushion next to the bed.

"So, did you bring the game?"

Alfred reached into his bag pack and threw the box on the ground next to him. Kiku happily picked it up.

"Domo arigato, Alfred-kun!"

The vampire waved lazily at him. "Yeah, yeah. Just play the damn thing already. You buy me a burger, I let you play my games. We're even now dude."

The Japanese inserted the disk and got ready to try it out.

Meanwhile, Alfred let his eyes wander across the room. The walls were covered with posters of various manga and anime: _Attack on Titan, Soul Eater, Black Butler, Death Note_, and so on. Even some shoujo (and some hidden yaoi) was up there. The posters gave the small room an even more cramped feel to it, but it did succeed in making the space more cosy and homey.

The only pieces of furniture were a single bed, a desk with chair and laptop, a wooden closet, a small television with several gaming systems, and a night stand. Sure, that sounds like a lot, but Kiku's room was reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy tiny. As in, take a few steps and you're already at the other side.

This because the Japanese was living in some sort of student's home. He resided there with a lot of other foreign exchange students, demons and other creatures who wanted to experience studying abroad. Some of them (Kiku included) came back every year, and would continue to do so until graduation.

The student's home was ten stories high and could accommodate seventeen teenagers per floor. There were shared bathrooms and kitchens, and a recreational room at the top floor. There you could watch TV, play games of pong and foosball, or just relax after a long night of classes.

Kiku had made some friends here, but spent most of his free time with the ones he had at school. Alfred was already more or less acquainted with said friends; there was the Chinese boy Yao Wang (a shape-shifter with the preference of a dragon, whose breath could reach huge proportions), some girl from Vietnam who really disliked Alfred for some reason, Im Yong Soo from South Korea (a trickster whom Alfred really enjoyed hanging out with), Herakles and Sadik lived here too (hence the occasional shouting matches in the hallway), and then there were some other Asian kids who apparently treated Kiku like their family (not always to the boy's liking).

It was a nice place to live. You had the space to study, to relax, and there was always someone to talk to should you get into any trouble. Kiku should consider himself lucky.

"What did Braginski-san really want from you?" a voice interrupted his musings.

The kitsune's expressionless chocolate brown eyes were still trained on the screen, but Alfred knew he awaited a reaction.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

A nod, and the conversation was over.

Alfred knew that if anyone, he could trust the Japanese not to smother him with questions. The boy was smart enough to see through his lies, but he wouldn't pry if Alfred didn't want to spill his secrets. The sunny blond respected that in the Japanese; it was one of the great assets that made the fox demon a valuable friend.

"Hey, can I use your laptop for a while?"

Kiku smiled at him. "Sure Alfred-kun."

The vampire lifted himself off the mattress and sat down at his friend's desk. He wanted to write another quick blog entry, just to sort out his thoughts.

Something made him pause in his tracks, however.

Alfred blinked at the screen, rubbed his eyes, and then looked again.

Someone had commented on his last blog entry.

Someone by the name of Silver.

_**Question**_

_Why do you hate demons?_

_-Silver-_

xoxox

"I hate all of you! How could you leave me behind with that lunatic Swiss?!" Arthur seethed, scowling at his companions.

Said companions were Gilbert, Francis and Matthew, as they were all on their way home, around the same time Alfred was cleaning the gymnasium.

"But dear Arthur, you seemed to be very much able to manage things yourself!" Francis chuckled, winking playfully at the angry Brit.

Arthur was not amused.

Gilbert gave Matthew a soft nudge.

"Why are you being so quiet Birdie?"

No one knew exactly why it was that Gilbert had invented that nickname. Matthew didn't look like a bird at all, especially with that polar bear in his arms. Nonetheless, the name had stuck.

"I was just thinking about my brother."

Francis came to walk by his other side.

"Mais oui! Our beloved vierge apparently has taken a liking to monsieur Braginski!"

Arthur joined the conversation.

"I must admit it is quite worrisome… And I don't believe his excuse at all. Why on earth would that demon twat help him with his homework? For heaven's sake, yesterday they were still ready to lunge at each other!"

Gilbert thoughtfully looked up at the sky, for once not acting like an egocentric child.

"Something must have happened yesterday when we weren't around. Something… But what?"

"Whatever it is, if the Russian is involved, it can't be anything good," Arthur grumbled, although highly concerned for their friend's well-being.

"You think so?" Matthew asked.

Francis put an encouraging arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Do not worry Mathieu! I say we just wait and see how this progresses. Who knows, maybe tomorrow things will go back to normal? But right now, there is simply nothing we can do."

Arthur tsk-ed at the Frenchman for his laid-back demeanour.

'_Nothing to worry about my ass!'_ he thought bitterly. _'Something tells me there is more going on here…'_

Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden flash of a camera. Turning around, the four boys could see Elizabeta hidden behind a bush.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Gilbert growled at her, though his eyes flickered in amusement.

"Simply taking some pictures, don't mind me!" the girl informed them. "Oh but Francis, can you please grope Matthew's ass for me? That'd be great!"

Instead of doing as she told him, the incubus sashayed over to her hiding spot. He pulled a rose seemingly out of nowhere and held it in front of her crouching figure.

"My dearest Elizabeta! Instead of sneaking up on us, would you not much rather go on a date with moi? I promise you it will be the night of your life!"

The wicca giggled, but declined his offer.

"Sorry, but I'm already taken."

Francis raised an eyebrow, smiling seductively.

"Oh? But I can assure you mademoiselle: the one you are seeing now is nothing compared to what I could do for you. And there will be absolutely no strings attached, ma chère. He doesn't even have to know."

Elizabeta shook her head, not at all tempted by his offer.

"It's not because you're a sex demon that you're irresistible, Francis dear."

This was certainly not what the demon wanted to hear. He got to his knees, dramatically holding a hand to his forehead. Gilbert was snickering away at his being rejected.

"Mon Dieu! Can it be? Is there a creature alive who can resist l'amour? This is a dark day in monster history."

Elizabeta got up and re-adjusted her dress.

"Yup. I'm totally resisting you. And I have to go now, my date is waiting for me. And for the record, I'm certain he will make for a much more unforgettable partner than you."

With another wink at the nearly hysteric werewolf, she left the scene.

While Matthew tried to console the melodramatic incubus, Arthur kept more to himself. He threw angry glares at Francis, more than a little annoyed with his impertinent flirting. And not only because it was disgusting and pathetic to look at.

'_Damn him,'_ he thought.

He was mad at Francis for being such a fool.

But most of all, he was mad at himself.

For having an enormous crush on said fool.

He was mad, not only because Francis was so obnoxious, but also because he was an incubus. And sex demons weren't exactly known for their monogamous nature.

Arthur knew Francis would never return his love. Yet he couldn't help but feeling the way he did, getting jealous, blushing at the other's sexual harassment, his heart skipping a beat every now and then. He concealed it of course, but the feelings were still there.

He knew he could have sex with the demon if he wanted, all he had to do to achieve that was ask. Incubi were always eager to comply to such requests. And Francis himself had tried to seduce him more than once already.

But how could he ever just sell his body like that? Knowing it would be just sex, no deeper meaning attached. Arthur didn't want that, knew his heart wouldn't be able to take it.

Francis would find out what exactly he meant to him, and it would just ruin their friendship. Francis wouldn't be able to stay with Arthur alone, always being drawn to others due to his nature. Maybe he would feel guilty in doing so, seeing as they were still friends, but it wouldn't stop him.

Arthur was jealous enough on his own, he didn't want to have sex just to have another thing to share with others and further complicate things. And so he kept his emotions to himself, locking them away in the deepest part of his soul, praying every day they'd just disappear. So far they hadn't, but he was able to ignore the pain.

His time was running out however. There is only so much the heart can take before breaking.

Arthur didn't know it yet, but he was standing at the abyss.

With just a few more pushes he would tumble over the edge.

Heartbreak was inevitable, were he to continue this way.

And after that…

The great unknown.

xoxox

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: Bang Bang - Nancy Sinatra  
>Story: Sillage - loading-creativity (How France comforts England whenever the Fourth of July comes around. If you like it, be sure to check out the sequel: Querencia.)<strong>

1) Alice is just an OC, she doesn't represent a country. She probably won't have too big of a role in the story. Maybe.

Words:

Aka: Red (Japanese)  
>Arschloch: Bastard<br>Mon ami: My friend  
>Gomenasai: I'm sorry<br>Domo arigato: Thanks a lot  
>Mais oui: But yes<br>Vierge: Virgin  
>Monsieur: Mister<br>Moi: Me  
>Mademoiselle: Miss<br>Ma chère: My dear (female)  
>Mon Dieu: My God<br>L'amour: Love


	6. Chapter 5: Russus

Chapter 5: Russus

**To Fio (and others): The reason the monster society doesn't want you to concern yourself to much with humans is 1. To make it easier to adapt to your new life, 2. So you don't get sympathy for them when you are supposed to hunt them, 3. So you don't start longing for your previous life if you had one, and 4. Because the creators of the rules of this society are egocentric dicks who think their kind are like 'the chosen species' and far superior, so humans should be treated like pestilence and food and nothing above that. Wow, I suddenly realize they sound a lot like a certain group of people from less than a hundred years ago… The difference being that the monsters only hunt for food, not for the sole purpose of killing. Beside the hunt they try not to get in contact with the humans, because they aren't worth the attention.**

**To CandyCane460: Monsters and humans live in the same world, but monsters also have their own separate hidden neighbourhoods. It's not exactly an alternate dimension, more like places humans don't regularly go. And if they do get there somehow, they won't live to tell the tale, if you know what I mean.**

**And a quick note: Arthur is not going to end up with Francis in this story. Sorry for those who wanted that to happen, but I've got other plans for him. Just thought I'd let you know now so you FrUK-lovers don't get your hopes up for nothing.**

xoxox

It was Wednesday morning, and Alfred was getting ready for gym. While pulling up his socks, his mind didn't register the excited chattering surrounding him.

This because he kept going back to the comment on his blog.

'_I've never had someone reply to one of my posts before!'_ had been his first reaction.

Then he had taken the time to reply to this 'Silver', scaring Kiku with his almost maniacal giggling.

_**Duh**_

_Like I said, they can't be trusted. Give them a finger, and they'll take the whole hand. They also use their powers way too often and no offense, but I think they're just plain stupid._

_-American Vamp-_

The reason he was now deep in thought, was because when he checked his blog right before this class, he noticed another reply.

_**Irrelevant**_

_But what fun is it to have powers when they cannot be used? Is there a law against it? And demons might not always be trusted, but does that mean other monsters are fully reliable? I believe the funding for your hatred is either unsufficient, or you are not telling the real reasons. 'No offense' as you would say._

_-Silver-_

It had given him some serious food for the brain. Well, of course there were other reasons. Braginski being a total dick was one of them. But Silver did have a point. Demons weren't the only creatures that could lie, and they definitely weren't the only ones with powers.

What did make Alfred hate them more than other monsters? Or was it just the Russian he held a grudge against?

"Jones, class has already started!"

Alfred quickly jogged out of the dressing room, before the coach could give him detention. Coach Alfher Beilschmidt was a relative of Gilbert and Ludwig; a brawny blond with a constant stern expression and frighteningly blue eyes(1).

The teen went to stand by Gilbert, seeing as the albino had gym now too. He jumped when his brother appeared as well, but no one paid attention to his little outburst, that being a regular occurrence.

"All right! We're playing tennis today!"

Some cheers, some groans.

"I want you all to team up with somebody, and then you'll play matches of two-on-two. Understood? Then get moving!"

Before Alfred could address any of his two friends, Gilbert pulled Matthew close. He grinned apologetically at the sunny blond.

"Sorry man, but I'm sticking with Birdie! Don't worry, you're good at gym. You'll manage!"

Matthew squeaked out an apology before being dragged off. Alfred put his hands in his pockets, after which he looked around for a free partner to team up with.

Roderich sucked at sports…

Feliciano was too ditzy…

Lovino was too annoying…

Elizabeta scared the crap out of him…

Oh well, Lovino would have to do. At least he had good aim.

Just when he was about to walk over to his new partner, a heavy hand dropped down on his shoulder. He could instantly tell who it was by the numbing cold that spread from his touch.

"Privet Alfred."

The vampire groaned in desperation. He turned around, facing the smiling demon. Who, despite it being gym, still had his scarf on.

"What?!" he asked, tone having a little more bite to it than he'd meant it to. He already had to see Ivan enough outside of class, he didn't want to be near him _during_ class as well.

"I want to form a team with you."

Alfred crossed his arms.

"Hell to the no."

Ivan grinned.

"You mean yes da? Unless you have already forgotten about our agreement."

Alfred narrowed his eyes.

"I thought you didn't even do sports?"

The icy demon shrugged.

"I figured I could try it out for a change. So, let us play!"

Alfred was about to protest some more, but a warning glance shut him up. He stomped after Ivan, not at all pleased with his forced-upon partner.

He was even less pleased when he saw the shocked expressions of his brother, friend, and fellow students. Not only because they formed a team, but also because they'd never seen Ivan participate in this class before.

Great. Simply terrific.

"I see everybody has found a partner. You can all take a racket and ball, and take place on one of the fields. This will be a regular competition, so the winners of a set will move on to the next challengers. The team that wins the competition will get a higher grade for effort of course. All right, begin!"

Alfred looked like a child who had to do some obligatory shopping with his mother, sourly hobbling behind the tall demon. Ivan looked unperturbed, as he even whistled something that sounded like the Tetris theme song(2). He picked up two rackets and held one out for his partner, giggling when Alfred rudely snatched it out of his hand.

Their first opponents were Elizabeta and Roderich. Alfred knew Roderich wouldn't be a problem, but Elizabeta had enough fire to make up for his inability at performing well at gym.

Only question was: did Ivan even know how to play tennis? Sure, he read a lot, but there probably weren't any manuals on sports in his collection.

He could see the Hungarian ask herself the same thing, trying to size the demon up. A smirk told Alfred she thought she could take them on.

He hoped they could easily wipe it off.

"Discuss your position with your partner, and you can begin playing when both sides are ready," came coach's voice.

Ivan looked down at him.

"I am taller, so you can stand closer to the net."

"But doesn't being taller make it easier for you to reach the ball?"

Ivan chuckled.

"You can jump, right? So you should be able to catch the ball as well."

Alfred opened his mouth, but closed it immediately afterwards. It was no use trying to reason with this weirdo.

So he simply took his place by the net, eyeing Ivan as he situated himself near the back of the field.

"Ready!" Alfred said to the others.

Roderich had taken place by the net as well, obviously not feeling comfortable when he looked at Alfred's biceps. It secretly made Alfred swell with pride; he might still be a virgin, but at least his strength was above average. An angel of music like Roderich would stand no chance against him in a wrestling match.

"I'll begin!" Elizabeta called.

She let the ball bounce on the ground a few times, testing out its flexibility. Then she threw it up high, stretching her body to the fullest. The ball came down, she swung, and it was sent flying over the net.

Alfred caught it however, razor-sharp reflexes jolting awake when he saw the round objects coming towards him. He slightly jumped and slammed down on the thing, making it crash down on their rival's field with a satisfying thud.

"That's a point for us!" he yelled, grinning widely.

Elizabeta stuck out her tongue, quickly going to retrieve the ball.

Alfred looked back at his teammate. Ivan hadn't moved a muscle, as if only observing the match.

"Hey big guy, you gotta be ready when the ball comes!" he called, set on winning this thing.

Ivan shrugged. "Do not worry dorogoy. You are doing just fine."

Alfred frowned, but said nothing of it when the Hungarian took her spot again. Alfred let her have this service as well, feeling generous today.

The second service went by more or less the same as the first. Roderich weakly waved his racket at the ball, but it shot over his head with the greatest of ease.

"Two-zero!" Alfred cheered. "Eat that stalker-lady!"

"I'm sorry Lizzy," Roderich mumbled.

"It's all right Roderich dear, as long as you're doing your best," the girl consoled him.

Then she leered at Alfred, eyes glinting sharply. Something told the teen the third time might be the charm for her.

The ball bounced on the ground three times, before trying to reach for the skies. As it came down, Elizabeta seemed to move in slow-motion. Not really, but Alfred thought it would be cool if she did.

The ball was once again sent flying in his direction. Alfred jumped up to catch it, just like he had done two times before, but this time the ball wouldn't reach the ground so easily.

Elizabeta quickly ran forward, anticipating where the ball was going to land. Alfred noticed her too late, arm already swinging forward, unable to change directions. The wicca was able to intercept the object, sending it back with just as much vigour. This time, the ball landed on their part of the field.

"That's one-two Alfred!" the Hungarian giggled, giving a high-five to her partner.

Alfred turned to Ivan once more.

"Hey, you're supposed to catch the balls that I don't! Are you just gonna stand there and do nothing or what?!"

Ivan smiled serenely.

"So you want me to play?"

"Well duh! What use is there in joining class when you're not even gonna participate?!"

Ivan sighed almost contentedly. He finally got into a stance that would allow him to move more freely across the field, unfolding his hands and holding the racket out in front of him.

"If you want me to play dorogoy, then I would be happy to oblige."

Alfred rolled his eyes. He knew before this Ivan was weird, but he was acting extra strange today.

"Whatever. You probably don't even know how to play tennis anyway. As long as you don't get in my way, I don't care what you do."

A flash of _something_ shot through those violet eyes.

"Is that a challenge?"

Alfred cocked an eyebrow at him.

"And what if it is?"

Ivan grinned widely, unveiling his snow white teeth.

"Then I will show you how to play tennis, little one."

"Hey, are we playing or not?" Elizabeta interrupted them.

She had been watching their little discussion with suspicion, not liking the fact that Ivan at long last wanted to involve himself in the game. Her instincts told her this wasn't going to work out in her favour.

"Yeah, we're ready!" Alfred called back, getting back into position.

The ball bounced, went up in the air, and was once again sent flying over the net. Alfred sent it back, but in a lucky hit, Roderich was able to catch it with his racket, giving Elizabeta the time to re-adjust her position. Alfred hit the ball when it reached him again, but now the wicca was there to send the object back. They kept at it like that for a while, each intercepting the ball in time, until Elizabeta took a particularly rough swing at it. The round object went over Alfred's head, racket missing it by only a few inches. Alfred was afraid the ball would hit the ground again, undoing all his hard work.

But this time, Ivan decided to join the fun.

In a flash he shot forward, going so fast he could just as easily have teleported there. His racket swung underhand, hitting the ball with an audible thwack. Before their opponents could react, it hit the ground on their part of the field.

This all happened in less than a second.

Three sets of eyes gaped at the place of impact, before looking back at the icy demon. Ivan was still standing at the back of the field, smiling innocently, looking as if he hadn't moved at all.

"Uh… I guess that makes it three to one?" Roderich hesitantly said.

Slowly but surely, a grin found its way to Alfred's face.

"Hey big guy, I didn't know you could play tennis!"

Ivan giggled.

"I never said that I could not~"

Alfred locked eyes with Elizabeta, challenging her to continue the match. If Ivan were to pull any more stunts like that, winning this competition would prove to be easy as pie.

And indeed, the demon didn't disappoint.

Roderich and Elizabeta didn't get another point during that match. When Alfred couldn't catch the ball, Ivan made his move.

And he was a total beast.

Alfred could do nothing but admire his speed, the pure control he had over every single muscle in his body, the elegance with which he handled his racket, and how he didn't even seem to break a single sweat over his hazardous antics. He was tall enough to easily reach every ball too, not having to lift his feet off the ground once standing at the predicted place of impact. And his service was in a word: perfection.

The other competitors didn't stand a chance.

When the match ended, Alfred happily raced over to his partner.

"You were amazing!" he yelled, momentarily forgetting his hatred for the demon.

"High-five!"

Ivan curiously eyed the hand that was held in front of him. He raised an eyebrow at the vampire, looking uncertain of what was expected of him.

"It's a high-five dude. You just… slap it."

"Oh!"

Ivan smiled widely as he harshly slapped the other's hand. Alfred yelped at the sting, immediately cradling his hand to his chest.

"Not like that, idiot!"

Ivan looked confused, not realizing what he'd done wrong. Or maybe he was just faking it to aggravate the vampire?

"Dude, you really never high-fived someone?"

The demon slowly shook his head. Alfred gaped at him for a moment, before quickly shutting his mouth.

Right, weirdest monster walking the surface of the earth. Of course he wouldn't know about something as normal as a high-five.

"Never mind. Let's get on to the next match."

The rest of the games went by in a very similar fashion. They completely crushed Gilbert and Matthew, made meatloaf out of Lovino and Feliciano, and easily got to the final round. Alfred loved the adrenaline racing through his body, euphoric due to the released endorphins. Ivan still looked like he'd just been watching instead of competing, but maybe demons like him simply didn't sweat. Maybe the sweat froze before it could make its way out of his pores…

Alfred mentally shuddered at the strange direction his thoughts had taken. Then he noticed their final opponents and frowned.

It was Alice, along with another senior vampire who liked to harass him. And looking at the wine red hue of their eyes, they had spent last night hunting. They could surely prove to be a challenge, but he _did_ have Ivan on his side now…

Alfred smiled mischievously.

Yes, he disliked Ivan, but he would love the guy to bits if he could help him pulverize those assholes. And with his skill, they had a great chance of succeeding.

"Come on Ruski, let's do our best!"

Ivan giggled. Nothing more.

Alfred stretched a bit while waiting for the other two to get ready. He noticed Alice staring at him, and boldly glared right back. She smiled wickedly and dragged a finger across her throat, the universal sign for "You're dead son!"

Alfred hissed, a low droning like a swarm of bees, muscles tensing in anticipation.

He would show her.

When Alice sent the ball flying with such velocity it was almost unable to perceive with the naked eye, Alfred's resolve faltered for a moment. But there was no need to doubt his partner, as Ivan easily made their first point for him. He shot a thumbs-up at him, getting an almost bashful smile in return.

Strange, he didn't knew Ivan was capable of having such emotions.

Oh well.

As much as the senior vampires tried, they simply were no match for Ivan once he got fired up. The demon intercepted each and every ball, occasionally letting Alfred go for the kill, leaving their opponents no fighting chance.

It wasn't an easy win, it was a slaughter.

The other students cheered as they ended the competition with another six against one, crowning them the undoubtable victors. Alfred fist-palmed the air, ecstatic with the turn-out.

"Hey loser! Feel good now that you have a demon to save your ass?!"

Alfred stopped cheering as that hated voice forced him to turn around. Alice smirked.

"Is he your boyfriend now? Did he also save you from your virginity?"

Alfred went pale. A distant buzzing resonated in his ears.

"I bet you wouldn't stand a single chance against me if he weren't there to cover for you! Then you'd be beaten by a girl,_ and_ be a fair maiden, having to be rescued by her knight in shining armours!"

Where was the teacher when you needed him?

"I can just imagine it. 'Oh Ivan please, not so rough! I'm a pure soul, I'll break if you stick that there!'"

She then continued to make some lewd and obscene noises, causing her teammate to laugh loudly.

Alfred only saw red now. Not only was he blushing fiercely at her implications, he really wanted to pound her face in. The boy didn't care that she could take him on, he at least wanted to get a hit in to catch her off guard, maybe even a couple of punches. If only to relieve that built-up frustration, to show her that he wasn't a weakling just because he hadn't bitten anyone yet.

Before he could move though, he saw a flash of white from the corner of his eye.

No one stopped Ivan as he surged forward, half-lidded orbs holding an unrecognizable emotion to them, thin lips forming a straight line.

Alice abruptly stopped laughing when a hand grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Her silent scream turned into choking as she clawed at his strong fingers, feet kicking helplessly before falling limp under the paralyzing cold.

Ivan brought their faces close, ignoring the shocked breath-intakes of his fellow students.

"You will not insult me or my teammate da? Or I will do with you what you just described me doing to him. Only, I will use a frozen faucet instead."

Alice paled, her eyes growing wide with horror. She didn't know if Ivan meant what he said, but his glowing amethysts surely scared her to death. She wanted to nod, showing she understood, but the girl had no control over her muscles. In fact, she also found it getting harder to breathe. And her skin was turning an interesting shade of blue.

Alfred, who had been watching with open mouth, noticed too. He considered ignoring it for a moment, but that thought was immediately undermined by his heroic instincts. So he took a step forward and cleared his throat.

"Ivan?"

The Russian glanced over his shoulder, looking surprised to hear his name coming out of the blond's mouth, instead of some insult or mean nickname.

"You might wanna put her down. She's kinda choking."

Ivan looked at Alice, then back at Alfred. He locked eyes with the boy for a few seconds, deafening silence spreading through the gymnasium. Those violet jewels studied him; his face, his hair with that funny cowlick, followed the line of his neck, his torso, everything. Alice wasn't relieved from his vice-like hold.

"I mean it dude. You're killing her."

He raised an eyebrow at his words, as if to say "So what?"

The demon seemingly had no problem at all with killing a fellow monster.

But Alfred did. So he acted on what his instincts told him to do: save the damsel in distress, even if she was his nemesis.

The blond shot his hand out, grabbing the Russian by the arm with such force it actually made the demon flinch. He immediately recovered of course, but Alfred felt a little proud when he felt a reaction under his demanding touch.

Ivan let go of his earlier prey to push the teenage vampire to the ground. He certainly would not let a direct attack go by unpunished.

"What is going on here?!" came the roaring voice of coach Alfher.

Demon and vampire looked up. The teacher was furiously towering over their figures, blue eyes seething with rage.

Their situation probably looked very bad from up there. Alice still trying to regulate her breathing, Ivan looking like he was about to eat the smaller boy, Alfred's leg frozen mid-air as it was trying to push the other off.

"Both of you, to the headmaster's office! And someone immediately bring that girl to the infirmary!"

Ivan and Alfred begrudgingly got off the floor and left the gymnasium.

They didn't say a word while walking towards their destination. Passing through corridors, the only sound being that of their composed breath-intakes and sneakers colliding with the linoleum. A corner, another one, and even more after that. They passed Arthur's class; flashes of green and white could be seen through the blinders.

Only when the two boys were standing in front of the oaken door, did Alfred speak up.

"You… You weren't really going to kill her, were you?"

Ivan's eyes slowly wandered over to his face, half-hooded and shining mysteriously.

"…Nyet. I only wanted to teach her a lesson."

The pause was suspicious however, and made Alfred shudder. Not only was Ivan crazy, he apparently was a sociopath as well.

Still…

"…Why did you suddenly get mad like that?"

An exasperated sigh.

"I do not want to talk about it Alfred."

The boy nodded. They both stared at the door, neither making a move to enter.

"…Thanks," he said.

Because the teen understood that in a sick, twisted way, Ivan had tried to defend his honour. Maybe it wasn't done on purpose, the icy demon wanting to fight for his own dignity, but Alfred was still thankful.

Ivan didn't respond. Instead, he gave a curd nod of acknowledgement before bending over and knocking on the door.

Alfred braced himself as a voice called them in. He really didn't like meeting with the headmaster. Not because he was a scary guy, but because he was, well…

"Ah, there are the bad boys!"

Alfred nearly jumped out of his body at seeing the man.

A transparent skin, lucid eyes, a ghastly smile…

Yup, their headmaster was a ghost.

Ivan only got a brief glimpse at the expensive interior of their headmaster's office (drapes and tapestries covering the walls, a suede divan standing in the corner, ancient artefacts on exhibition in a glass cabinet, paintings from the Renaissance and beautiful pieces of mosaic), before Alfred surprised all three of them by falling to his knees and folding his hands as if praying for his life.

"Please don't kill me! It was all him, I'm just a simple accomplice! Not even that! I swear I'll be a good boy! I'm too young to die!"

He kept blabbering on, on the verge of tears, body shivering and quaking.

Remus Romulus Augustus – or Grandpa Rome(3), as he wanted his students to call him – looked like this wasn't the first time he'd witnessed Alfred breaking down in front of him.

For Ivan however, this was an all-new experience. He stared in bedazzled amazement as the blond kept rambling on, blinking every now and then, as if having to prove to himself that this was indeed happening.

"Alfred, please get up. You should know by now that I only have the purest of intentions."

Ivan couldn't suppress a giggle as the vampire frantically shook his head, still caught in his own delusions.

The demon finally took pity of their headmaster, and used his powers to shut Alfred up. Ivan pulled him off the ground and helped him stand, waiting for the boy to calm down before letting him regain control over his vocal cords.

"Sorry…" Alfred muttered.

Grandpa Rome chuckled.

"It's all right, boy. You're forgiven. However-"

He got serious now, something that didn't happen often with this (ex-)man.

"I heard you two have been fighting?"

Alfred sullenly looked at the ground while Ivan twiddled his thumbs, letting his eyes study the colourful patterns on the ceiling.

Remus hummed.

"I will have to give you both detention for now. I will think of a more fitting punishment for next week, but at this moment, detention will have to do. Please come visit me again after school, I will give you the details then."

He winked at the two teens.

"If you boys behave, I might scratch your punishment for next week. That will depend entirely on your behaviour though."

The two monsters nodded, accepting their fate.

Detention it was.

xoxox

**Funny thing: on my game of Tomodachi Life, Gilbert's favourite food is scones. Anyone care to tell Iggy?**

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: Don't Mess With Me - Temposhark  
>Story: The Companion - Ahmerst (Russia kidnaps America after the fall of the USSR. The final chapter is missing, but it's still more than worth reading.)<strong>

1) He is the personification of Germania.

2) The Tetris theme comes from the song Korobeiniki, a Russian folk song. And Tetris originates from Russia (no, not South Korea).

3) Yeah, the headmaster is the personification of Ancient Rome or the Roman Empire.

Words:

Russus: Red (Latin)


	7. Chapter 6: Krasnyy

Chapter 6: Krasnyy

**Welcome once again dear readers!**

xoxox

Ivan wanted to punch Alfred in the face. But being the well-mannered demon that he was (hum hum), he resisted the urge. However, if the vampire were to keep up his current behaviour, violence would become a necessary evil.

The two teenagers were sitting in an empty classroom for their detention. At first, coach Alfher had been there to keep a watchful eye over them. After a certain amount of time though, he was called away by the headmaster for some sort of emergency meeting. The man then locked the door to the room, warning the two that if any of them were to try and escape their punishment, it would be another week of daily detention.

So, here they were. Sitting behind a desk. And being bored out of their minds. To relieve himself from the boredom, Alfred had taken to biting a ballpoint pen – hence Ivan's annoyance with the boy.

He let his pointy canines scrape the plastic, finding satisfaction with every little curl he could place on his desk. His feet were propped on the surface, the vampire not even having the decency to take off his dirty worn-out sneakers. His vivid blues wandered through the classroom, searching for a distraction, not seeing the twitching of Ivan's eye.

In fact, he deliberately ignored the Russian. For it wasn't as if he liked the guy now that they'd played tennis and had gotten into trouble together. Ivan was still a major creepo and a slave driver. And a freak. A freak who was apparently interested in human literature, but a freak nonetheless.

Alfred focussed on his surroundings again.

This was definitely a classroom for werewolves. Posters about the moon, chards of wars between wolves and other creatures (mainly vampires), a manual on how to get rid of fleas. This last one made him snicker, which probably wasn't such a good idea seeing as he still had a pen in his mouth. Alfred accidently bit down on the small object, instantly releasing the ink from its tubular confines.

The teen gasped when the liquid filled the cavern of his mouth, before scrunching his eyes shut and gagging violently.

"Fuck!" the boy spat, scooting up and hurrying over to the sink.

Violet eyes closely followed his movements, amazed by his companion's stupidity.

"That is what you get from biting on pen da?" he chuckled humourlessly, glad he wouldn't have to watch such a disturbing display anymore.

Alfred, head still held under the running water, gave him the finger. This made Ivan laugh in more genuine delight. The sunny blond was oh so responsive to all his little jabs and remarks! He truly was endearing. And more importantly, he dared talk back to him…

Alfred took a deep breath once his saliva wasn't coloured blue anymore.

"Welp, never doing that again!" he said, shuddering as if he'd just eating animal droppings.

He then became aware of those eyes on him and quickly looked away. The icy demon had some serious staring issues, on top of all his other faults. And Alfred didn't like that one bit.

The blond let himself lean against the wall, hands leisurely in his pockets, trying to seem unfazed by the unwanted attention. Maybe some casual talking would help? It never hurt to try.

He cleared his throat and spoke up. "So uh…"

Ivan perked up, curious as to what his detention buddy had to say.

Alfred's eyes shot back to the posters, trying to find a topic of conversation.

"You uh… You like space?"

Wow, he was really making himself sound intelligent, wasn't he? The Russian probably didn't like space one single bit. In fact, all the vampire knew about Ivan was that the guy read books about ballet and had some serious violent tendencies. And that he was a jerk, let's not forget that.

But what he saw was Ivan's face lighting up at the question, usual predatory glow replaced by childish glee. With the way his eyes sparkled, his lips forming a happy grin and genuine interest radiating from his very existence, he even looked, dare he say it, cute.

…Wait, what?

"Da, space! I am very much interested in the universe, little Alfred. Especially history. Like when Soviet Union beat you capitalist vermin in the Space Race!"

Yeah, that was more like it. Ivan wasn't- that which shall not be named; he was a commie bastard and a heartless son of a bitch.

"You guys just cheated! We could've beaten your asses easily! Stupid commie Sputnik…"

He sulkily crossed his arms as the senior giggled almost hysterically.

"Oh, just shut up," Alfred growled, liking the other less and less.

"Prosti," Ivan said, wiping the frozen tears from his eyes (Alfred briefly wondered if the tears froze before or after coming out, and if it hurt if the former was true).

"That better means sorry," Alfred grumbled warningly.

"Da, it does. And to come back to your previous question: I do like space. I have always dreamt of going to the moon one day."

Alfred paused at hearing this. Not only because Ivan was finally saying some normal stuff, but also because he himself had the exact same dream.

Should he tell Ivan about their common interest, or…?

Wait, no. Stop that train of thought this instant.

It was Ivan for Pete's sake. He wasn't supposed to have civil conversations with the guy and fangirl about a shared wish before going prancing through a field of flowers together. He was supposed to hate the sucker's guts!

The blond was about to make a snarky comment just to piss the other off, when a sudden realization hit him.

He had been with Ivan all the way through gym class without feeling cold.

"You!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the Slavic creature's oversized nose.

Ivan looked at him curiously, eyes wide and head tilted to the side.

"What about me?"

"You're not freezing shit!"

Ivan narrowed his eyes in puzzlement, before a flash of realization shot over his features.

Alfred immediately felt a chill seeping into his core, crawling under his skin. He gasped, trying to suppress a shiver.

"How'd you do that?!"

Ivan shrugged. "I can control ice."

"That's not what I-"

He was cut off by a blanket of frost covering his mouth, almost as if Ivan laid a hand over his lips. The teen rapidly turned his head, finding the blockade gone as he scrambled away from the wall he'd been leaning against.

"Did you- Did you just…"

"Did I just _what_, Alfred?" Ivan asked happily.

The vampire's face read pure horror.

"Was that… a _hand_?"

Ivan closed his eyes, creepy smile never faltering.

"Oh. My. God. OH MY GOD! Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod-"

He hurriedly backed away until he hit the wall, hands trying to slap at the imaginary fingers.

"S-so, whenever we feel cold… You're_ touching_ us?" he screeched in a high-pitched voice, reality fully crashing down on him. "You pervert!"

Ivan's cold… The reason students were always cold whenever he was around…

He was touching them with invisible arms? _That_ was the real source of his powers?!

No wonder he could easily freeze people; he just used his extra hands to hold them down!

This… This was…

Ew.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Ivan had touched him!

He just felt so- so…

Violated!

While Alfred was having his little mental breakdown, Ivan tried to regain his attention.

"Alfred, it is not like that-"

"The hell it is! So what, all this time you've been secretly molesting us? Your hobby is feeling people up or somethin'?!"

"No it is not-"

The sunny blond paid no attention to his attempt at an explanation. Ivan grew tired of his hysteric blabbering, and decided to once again freeze him over.

Alfred freaked out further when he felt his body fall limp, imagining worm-like fingers sliding through his skin and grasping his muscles.

This was so fucking gross and wrong.

No matter how hard the boy struggled, he was unable to move even his big toe. His eyes glared at the tall demon as he stood up and walked over to his near-lifeless figure.

"Now that you are finally quiet, I can explain," Ivan sighed.

He crouched down next to his helpless victim. Alfred put on his best scowl, at which the ashen blond merely chuckled.

If Ivan was going to violate or rape him, he swore he would kill the asshole. Using only a spoon. Because hey, if Vin Diesel could do it, then so could he!

"I do not _touch_ people, little one. You think too lowly of me."

Alfred stayed silent. Because, you know, it wasn't like he had much of a choice with his lips being frozen and all.

"You say that whenever other creatures feel my cold, I am touching them. You are incorrect."

'_Sure, damn Ruski. Whatever you say,'_ the vampire thought bitterly, still creeped out by the thought of magical limbs on his body.

Ivan's expression grew serious, no longer mocking him or hiding behind a mask of innocence.

"I think the best way to describe my powers is… See it like a cloud. Da."

'_A cloud?'_ Alfred eyed.

Ivan smiled, nodding.

"It is difficult to explain, but da. A cloud of frozen particles. And I can give it form, control it. Or at least, partially."

His amethysts trailed off, the Russian trying to find the right words to express himself.

"What do you mean, partially?" sounded the vampire's voice.

Vivid blue eyes went comically wide when the blond realized he could move again. Alfred instantly got up and jumped back, creating a safe distance between the two of them. Ivan made no move to stop him however; he simply watched.

"Da. It… I do not have full control over it. I mean- For some parts it works on a subconscious level."

Alfred relaxed a bit when he figured out the older monster wasn't going to attack him. The adrenaline was slowly making its way out of his system.

"Explain," he demanded, still itching to scratch at non-existent fingers.

Ivan frowned, looking intently at the ground.

"Well, when I focus on it, I can move the particles of the cloud at own will. Not like hands- I cannot feel with it like I do with my body. It is more like a sixth sense; I know where it is, but I do not perceive what it touches. Probably because the individual particles are too small to send such signals to my brain."

Wow, this had turned into some kind of chemistry class. Ivan's powers were a lot more complex than you'd think.

"I can also will it to go away. That is, when I focus. And only for a little while."

Alfred nodded.

"So that's why we didn't feel cold around you during gym?"

Ivan nodded as well.

"But why? Why make it go away then, but not at other times? Why not make it go away every time you're around others?"

"…None of your concern."

Alfred was about to protest, but Ivan cut him off and continued his explanation with a heavy sigh.

"It is too tiresome to always keep control over it, Alfred. When I do not focus on it, it just waves around me, like it has its own will."

'_Creepy…'_ Alfred thought with a shudder.

"So wait, if it has a will of its own, aren't you afraid it'll like, attack someone?"

Ivan shook his head.

"Nyet, it does not work that way. It does not have a consciousness. It is more like… Ah! When you put stress on a rubber band, you can shape it like you want to, right? And then when you let it relax, it returns to its original position, da? Think of my powers like that; when I do not concentrate on them, they simply return to their original position. The cloud is still there, but it will not stretch on its own. And my rubber band also will not break."

Alfred's eyes had glazed over. The demon had lost him somewhere in the middle of his explanation.

Ivan angrily slapped him in the face.

"Ow- The hell was that for?!"

"When I tell you something about myself, I would like you to pay attention, _American_."

He said it in a calm voice, but his eyes held a bit of hurt at being ignored like that. Ivan didn't often share things about himself with others. He had been happy to see the vampire so interested in his background, but apparently that had just been an illusion.

Alfred, oblivious as always, made no attempt to apologize.

"I too was listening…" he grumbled, rubbing his cheek. "Oh yeah, if the cloud's always there, then why aren't you affected by it?"

Ivan felt a blush coming up. Oh dear, so Alfred _did_ pay attention. How nice of him.

He quickly shook it off, successfully hiding his true emotions. It wouldn't do to have the vampire think he was a softy or a pushover. Instead, he smirked.

"Oh, little one. I am a creature who controls ice. Of course it does not affect me!"

"First of all, I'm not little. You're just freakishly tall. Secondly, sooooooo what, you're like, never cold?"

The Russian shrugged, although his cool demeanour hid a sliver of a grimace.

"Nyet. I do feel cold, it just does not bother me. I am unable to perceive warmth though."

Alfred was perplexed.

"Wait, then what do you do when you go to the beach? Get sunburnt without even feeling it?"

Ivan stared at him for a moment before having another giggle-fit.

"What's so funny?!"

The ashen blond was back to his childish pestering self again. "Alfred, I never go to the beach."

"Huh? You've_ never_ been to the beach before?"

Another shaking of the head in the negative.

Alfred couldn't believe his ears.

"Well then we have to go this wee-"

He immediately cut himself off once he realized what he'd been about to say.

'_What the- Did I just almost invite the commie for a trip to California?'_ he thought bewilderedly.

He could just imagine it. Him and Ivan at the beach.

It was so wrong, so uncomfortable, so not a good way to spend his free time, so, so…

Hilarious.

Like, Ivan in a bathing suit hilarious. With those little flotation thingies. And a white dot of sunscreen on his supersize nose.

The tall demon watched in amazement as the vampire laughed so hard he nearly choked, arms gripping his sides. Was he drunk or something?

Which reminded him.

Ivan took a few sips of his beloved vodka while the American tried to compose himself.

"You are so strange, kotyonok…" he mumbled.

Alfred, finally calming down, was about to comment of the usage of such a communist language in the land of freedom, when he saw something.

"Holy shit!" he yelled, before shooting up and running to the back of the class. He was immediately distracted from the previous conversation.

"What is wrong?" the older teen asked, confused by this sudden change in the other's behaviour.

"Dude, look!"

There, at the back of the class, was a sunflower. Just like in their homeroom.

"What is special about flower?" a soft voice asked from somewhere to his right.

Alfred only flinched a little, him already growing accustomed to the demon's creepy teleportation skills.

"There's one in our room too, but no one ever seems to take care of them. It's like, a mystery!"

Ivan hummed in acknowledgment, but made no further comment. Alfred shot a brief glance at him, surprised to see some kind of melancholy in those darkened jewels. He knew the icy demon wasn't paying attention anymore when the cold tickled at his naked skin. The vampire tried not to panic, reminding himself of the other's words. Not that he trusted Ivan, but somehow he knew the Russian had been speaking the truth.

"Ruski?" he said quietly, trying to break him away from his trance, or whatever this was supposed to be.

Ivan's gaze remained trained on the yellow petals, but he spoke nonetheless.

"There is something I have to do."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. He watched in confusion when the Slavic demon suddenly turned around and walked to the door. His confusion only grew when Ivan bent over and, with a few swift movements of skilled hands, undid the lock.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?!"

Ivan looked over his shoulder.

"I told you, there is something I have to be doing. You can stay here or come with me- I do not care. But if you tell anyone, consider our agreement undone."

Alfred quickly jogged over to him, brows furrowed in suspicion.

"You can't just leave! We're supposed to be having detention here!"

Ivan smiled at him.

"I will be back before anyone notices. And considering that our teacher was called away by Augustus, he will not be coming back for a long time."

Alfred didn't know what he meant by that, and frankly, he didn't want to know either.

"But-"

"Alfred," the Russian interrupted him. "I am leaving now. Are you coming or not?"

The boy stared at the hand reached out to him.

The offer was tempting. Not only would it be boring to stay in the empty classroom, but maybe this was a one-time chance to find a piece of the puzzle that was Ivan Braginski. On the other hand, he could get into some serious trouble. And it was still Ivan. The guy was creepy, weird, and not to be trusted.

The hand was still there.

"What if we get caught?"

"We won't."

Alfred sighed. He knew he was going to regret this later.

"Fine."

He ignored the offered hand and stepped out into the hallway, never seeing the unreadable emotion in the demon's eyes.

xoxox

"Seriously though, I have no idea where we've gone wrong in raising the boy," Arthur said with a sigh.

He along with Kiku and Matthew were sitting on a bench at the local park. The moon set the greenery alight, casting an entrancing spell on the surface of the pond and illuminating nightly figures. Kumajiro was playfully nipping at some fish, having no luck with catching a meal.

"Does anyone even know why he got detention?" the Brit continued his ranting.

"I already told you," Matthew squeaked indignantly.

"You have? My apologies chap. It must've slipped my mind."

Matthew rolled his eyes before repeating himself.

"I don't know the exact details since the others kept blocking my view, but according to Gil my brother and Ivan got into a fight."

Kiku straightened his figure, alarmed by the vampire's words.

"That is serious. No one ever picks a fight with that demon."

"You mean no one's dumb enough. Except for Alfred that is," the green-eyed mage grumbled.

"Still, it is rather worrisome," the Japanese boy continued. "What exactly is going on between Alfred-kun and Braginski-san? Francis-san said not to be concerned about it, but the amount of time they spend together has drastically increased…"

Arthur furrowed his bushy brows.

"If that demon scumbag is somehow hurting our Alfred, I'll make sure he pays for it!"

Kiku chuckled.

"I did not know you cared so much for Alfred-kun."

Arthur turned his head with a huff, a light pink dusting his cheeks.

"Of course I care, he's our friend isn't he? What do you take me for Kiku, a heartless bastard?"

Matthew had tuned out their conversation. The relationship between his twin and the Slavic monster did raise many questions. As if they hadn't enough problems without Ivan being added to the equation…

The three teens looked up when a loud howl cut through the night's quiet. They could see a silvery figure approaching at a fast pace, crimson eyes visible even from this distance.

"Good Heaven's Gilbert! Do you want to draw the attention of the entire neighbourhood to us?" Arthur lectured the werewolf, as soon as he was within hearing-distance.

He still had to squint his eyes a bit to make out the wolf's posture, him not exactly being a creature of the night. But monsters like mages and fairies simply had to adapt to the biological clock of other's, since most preferred the darkness over the daylight. And Arthur was powerful enough to conjure up a tiny sun for getting the necessary vitamins.

"Hey you guys! Look at what I found!"

The albino skidded to a halt, his paws carefully holding a tiny yellow chick.

"What are you doing with that?" Arthur inquired, taking note of the bird's laboured breathing.

"I think it's one of our kind! You know, like Birdie's polar bear or Francis' dove! It was being attacked by a cat, but it somehow managed to chase the beast away! It did get hurt in the process though…"

Gilbert's eyes were shining, his tail wagging with excitement. He'd always had a thing with birds, so the prospect of finding a magical one made him ecstatic. However, seeing the thing's condition, it probably didn't have long to live. That would really crush the wolf's spirit.

Everyone knew this, but Gilbert was set on saving the chick.

"Gilbert-kun…" Kiku began, but the kitsune was soon interrupted.

"Nein! I know what you're going to say Kiku, but I know we can save him! If it's a magical creature, it's our duty!"

"But Gilbert, how? None of us has taken care of a bird before, and my Kumakicha's never been sick," Matthew spoke in a hesitant voice.

The albino turned to Arthur. With one paw, he desperately held onto to the mage's hands. Arthur went wide-eyed with surprise when the narcissist Prussian got to his knees – he refused to call himself a German for some reason, even though Prussia no longer existed.

"Artie, I know you can do it. You probably have some spell in one of your books right? You don't have to heal it all the way, just enough for it to be able to recover on its own."

Arthur gulped, getting a little flustered under the way those piercing red eyes drilled themselves into his emerald greens.

"I-I…"

"No buts Arthur! Ich bitte Dich, help my bird!"

He'd only found it just a few seconds ago, and already he was this attached to the animal? This surprised Arthur.

But how could he say no to such a desperate plea?

The blond sighed.

"Get up Gilbert. I'll see what I can do."

Arthur yelped when the albino suddenly leapt up and pulled him into a bone-crushing embrace.

"Danke! I owe you one now Engel!"

Arthur blushed fiercely as he tried to push the werewolf off. He wasn't used to getting hugs from the Prussian like this.

In fact, this was the longest conversation they'd ever had without throwing teasing insults at each other.

They had met at the first day of high school. Arthur was already friends with Alfred, and Gilbert had been an email-buddy of Matthew's. As soon as vampire and werewolf met in real life, they became inseparable. Alfred and Arthur weren't all that happy with having him join their little group of friends, since he was obnoxious and way too into himself. Even more so than Alfred had been at the time – that was before all the others started to lose their virginity and began mocking him.

But after some time they grew used to having the werewolf around. He became a regular part of their daily school lives. After that, Kiku and Francis joined, Francis being a friend of Gilbert's and Kiku… Well, Alfred had met him on a gaming conference and immediately decided they were best friends.

Arthur's relationship to Gilbert could be considered fairly neutral. They didn't meet each other outside of the group, and occasionally got into verbal fights with the other, but nothing too bad. They were more of a constant presence to the other, nothing of a disturbance, but they didn't seek each other out if there were other options.

So for the werewolf to instantly come to him… It was an all-new experience Arthur didn't really know how to deal with.

"Uh… It's nothing, no need to thank me."

Arthur awkwardly patted the albino on his back, hoping he would be released soon. When the wolf did, he had a grin from ear-to-ear plastered on his face, eyes twinkling with glee. Arthur had never seen those eyes from such a close proximity before, and he suddenly found the red reminding him very much of a certain demon's favourite roses…

He stole a glance at the bird to rid his mind of those thoughts, seeing it on the verge of collapsing.

With new determination, he grabbed Gilbert by the arm.

"Let's go to my house, I'll see what I can find in my books."

Kiku and Matthew raced after them, four students concerned for the future of this little bird.

Arthur lived in a Victorian-inspired mansion, his parents being rich immigrants from London. Lampposts set themselves alight as the group passed by, magic buzzing through the air and forming an almost palpable layer around the house.

Gilbert looked around as soon as they were inside. He'd never been to Arthur's home before, and definitely hadn't expected such grandeur and exquisite wealth. Yes, Arthur was always dressed in suits and expensive brands under his black cape ("It's a bloody cloak!"), but the werewolf had no idea his family was _this_ loaded.

Arthur took them up the stairs, Kiku and Matthew already knowing their way around the house. Gilbert shot curious glances at all the doors they passed, wondering what treasures were hidden behind them.

"What's in-"

"My brothers' rooms," Arthur cut him off.

Gilbert knew better than to keep asking. Arthur wasn't always on good terms with his brothers, being the youngest in a family of five sons. Sure, they looked after their little brother, but they also didn't let a chance go by to make him remember he was the fledgling among them. Patrick, Dylan, Allistor and Finn Kirkland(1) were known for their not-so-friendly behaviour towards little Arthur.

"In here."

The four boys entered Arthur's bedroom. It was supposed to be a big room, but the walls were so cramped with bookcases it made the space look much smaller. Posters of famous sorcerers hung next to ones of heavy metal and rock bands, an electric guitar stalled proudly in a corner.

Gilbert whistled in admiration.

"I didn't know you played guitar Artie!"

"There's a lot more you don't know dog," Arthur said with a tiny smirk.

Gilbert wanted to retaliate, but Matthew laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Gil, your bird…"

The wolf was immediately focussed on the wounded animal again. While Arthur searched for the right book, he laid it down on the Brit's bed. Kiku came with water and Matthew searched for some disinfectant in the bathroom. The bird chirped weakly, its eyes cracking open to stare blindly at its surroundings.

"Told you it's a magic chick. Normal birds wouldn't have lived this long!" Gilbert boasted, although his eyes read nothing but the highest concern.

He carefully reached out and caressed the tiny body, heart thumping anxiously at such a pitiful display. He didn't know why, but he somehow felt connected to the little thing.

"Don't worry Gilbird. Ich werde Dich retten."

"Gilbird?" Matthew asked.

"Ja. Because he's awesome, like me!"

"Found it!" Arthur said with a victorious grin, pulling a book from one of his cases.

The others made room for the Brit, waiting in nervous anticipation. He scanned the pages until he finally found the one he'd been looking for.

"With this spell I can heal the bird's worst injuries. After that, it will just need a couple of days rest before it's out and about again."

He pulled out his wand, but was stopped by a hand around his wrist.

"Don't mess up," Gilbert warned him with a grave expression.

Arthur locked eyes with him for a moment, features reading nothing but solemnity.

"I won't."

Gilbert released him and stepped back. The three boys watched as Arthur pointed his wand at the bird and read the words of the healing incantation.

A soothing blue flashed through the room. Kiku and Matthew shielded their eyes, but Gilbert didn't look away. When the light disappeared, the bird was fast asleep, breathing normally and looking entirely at peace.

Arthur collapsed to his knees, releasing the breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"It worked," he sighed, closing his eyes.

It wasn't really the spell itself that had taken a toll on him, more the pressure of knowing Gilbert's happiness depended on his succeeding. As dumb as that may sound, since it was just a bird he'd found less than an hour ago. But Gilbert trusted him, and being the gentleman he was, he felt obliged in doing the best he could.

And seeing how happy the wolf was now, he knew it was worth it.

"Danke Arthur! You're the best!" Gilbert cheered, turning to smile at the Brit.

Arthur nodded before breaking away from that gaze, feeling a little self-conscious all of a sudden.

"No need to thank me," he muttered, although happy with the praise.

Gilbert petted his new friend, tail wagging happily.

"Get better soon Gilbird. You really are awesome!"

xoxox

**Sssssssssssssssssssssssspppppppppppppppppppppppaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccccccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  
>And Gilbird!<strong>

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede  
>Story: The Hetalian Job - Rainy Meadows (Crossover between Hetalia and Soul Eater, in which Death the Kid has to take care of Italy.)<strong>

1) Patrick is the Republic of Ireland, Finn is Northern Ireland, Allistor is Scotland and Dylan is Wales.

Words:

Krasnyy: Red (Russian)  
>Prosti: I'm sorryForgive me  
>Kotyonok: Kitten<br>Nein: No  
>Ich bitte Dich: I beg you<br>Engel: Angel  
>Ich werde Dich retten: I will rescue you<br>Ja: Yes


	8. Chapter 7: Rot

Chapter 7: Rot

**Happy- Happy uh… Happy January(?) everybody!**

xoxox

Arthur was feeling a little awkward. Which was an emotion he'd rather erase from his dictionary, especially seeing as this was _his_ bedroom.

Why was he feeling awkward you ask?

Well, a couple of minutes ago, Kiku and Matthew left his house. And Gilbert had stayed. Because he wanted to make sure his new pet was going to be all right.

At the moment, the albino was sitting on the bed, his bed, cooing at the yellow chick and simply watching over it while the bird slept.

And Arthur had absolutely no idea what to say to him.

Their usual form of conversation didn't seem to fit the situation. Arthur couldn't think of any good insults, the Prussian was obviously not in the mood for a verbal fight, and he didn't know what else he could say. Plus there was the fact that Gilbert was now his guest, and Arthur was a gentleman. He knew he should play the host and try to make him comfortable, but he somehow figured the other would just laugh at his good manners.

So, here he was, leaning awkwardly against the wall.

"…Want anything to drink?" he tried.

"Nein, Danke," was the albino's reply.

Another minute of silence in which Arthur watched the other covet his new best friend. Then Gilbert turned to him with a smirk.

"Or you know what? If you could bring me a beer, that'd be awesome."

Arthur scowled at him.

"I'm not giving you alcohol, dog."

The werewolf grinned widely.

"There's the grump we all know and love! Come on Artie, relax. You don't have to be all formal with me."

Arthur sputtered something incomprehensible, ears growing a dark shade of red. Gilbert snickered before turning to the chick again.

"I mean it, relax. We have known each other for how many years now? I'll admit, we don't talk that often. But that shouldn't be a problem anymore by now."

Arthur turned to scowling harshly again.

"Are you suggesting I'm scared of being alone with you or something? I'll have you know I'm at the top of my class, so I have absolutely no need to be nervous about anything, thank you very much."

Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Good. Because it would be totally un-awesome if you were scared of me."

As if to prove the werewolf wrong, Arthur pushed himself off the wall and marched over to the other, after which he plopped down on the mattress next to him.

"Why do I have such weird friends?" he asked himself with an exasperated sigh.

"Hey, I'm not weird Fräulein! You're just a snob!"

"What?!" Arthur growled.

He was about to curse the albino when he saw the mocking smirk on his face.

"Just teasing Artie!"

The mage grumbled and flopped back onto his bed.

"Seriously Gilbert. I'm too tired for games."

Gilbert followed his lead, now looking up at the ceiling. It was like looking up at the sky; painted a dark blue with constellations scattered across the surface.

"Thank you."

Green eyes shot to him, outrageous eyebrows raised in question.

"For what you did for Gilbird," the albino explained himself.

Arthur let out a short hum of understanding before looking back up.

"That's fine lad."

They remained silent for a little while, Gilbert for once not boasting about his awesomeness and Arthur not trying to make him realize he was anything but that.

It gave the mage the time to let his thoughts wander to forbidden zones again, thinking of lapis lazuli, easy-going chansons and the odour of fresh roses and baguettes…

"So you play the guitar?"

"Huh?"

Gilbert was sitting next to his instrument, studying the object as if it was something divine. Arthur slowly sat up again, wondering when he'd dozed off.

"Uh, yes. I do."

The werewolf grinned excitedly, tail wagging.

"Care to show me?"

Arthur didn't know how to react to that. It wasn't like he was afraid of making a fool out of himself. The mage knew he was a good musician – and that was a huge understatement. It was just that Gilbert had never shown such interest in him before, only coming to him when he wanted help with his homework.

"I guess so, if you want me to…"

Gilbert nodded, carefully picking up the guitar and holding it out to the blond. Arthur placed it in his lap and looked around him, searching for inspiration. He closed his eyes and smiled as he let his fingers caress the cords, instinctively knowing what to do. Gilbert sat on the ground, red eyes shining with childish joy. Arthur smirked before starting on the song he'd been practising the night before.

The albino remained perfectly silent during his performance, listening with genuine interest. The Brit kept his eyes closed; he wanted to remain focussed and he didn't plan on looking at his audience, afraid of being overcome by bashfulness. He even sang along with the lyrics, happy his voice didn't let him down today.

When the song was finished, Gilbert let out a howling bark and clapped his paws together.

"_I want to hold your hand _from the Beatles! I didn't know you were into the classics Artie!"

The mage looked up with a pleasantly surprised smile.

"You know the Beatles? Strange, I've always taken you for more of a Heavy Metal fan. Thought you only listened to bands such as Rammstein and the likes."

Gilbert shook his head and rolled his ruby-red eyes.

"Nah, I'm more of an all-rounded guy. Like a bit here, love a bit there. But the Beatles rule."

Arthur gently set down his guitar, feeling completely at ease after his little nap and the song.

"Do you perhaps play an instrument?"

The werewolf nodded.

"Of course! I have a drum set, I play the flute, and I own a triangle."

Arthur snorted at his list.

"I understand the drum set, but why a flute and triangle?"

"The triangle was just to annoy Roderich when he was playing too much piano. But it still sounds awesome when I use it. I'm so good I can make one single cling sound amazing!"

Arthur chuckled at that, but waited with the usual insults until the other was done explaining.

"And I just like the flute. I'm a lot more traditional than you think at some points, Fräulein. Not like that bloodsucking loser with his pop and electro. Nein, I have style!"

He meant the 'bloodsucking loser' part as a joke of course; Gilbert would never bash on his friends like that.

"Who taught you that?" the mage inquired.

If Arthur hadn't been there with him, he wouldn't have believed what Gilbert did next.

The werewolf suddenly went uncharacteristically quiet, his eyes growing to be the size of watermelons, his muscles tensing, ears falling flat and his tail dropping to the ground.

"Gilbert?" Arthur asked, immediately worried for the other's well-being (not that he'd ever admit it).

The wolf remained in that frozen state for a full minute before speaking up.

"…I don't really want to talk about it."

Arthur nodded, glad he was speaking again. It must've been someone who died or went away for the albino to have such a reaction.

They were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

"Oi fag, the Old Man says dinner is-"

The newcomer paused at seeing Gilbert sitting on the rug.

With his reddish-brown hair, eyes resembling grass and spring, and a faint scar on his left cheek, it could only be Patrick Kirkland. The man in his early twenties studied the werewolf sitting in his sibling's bedroom, blessed thin eyebrows frowning just a tad.

Then he smirked.

"I just meant that fag-thing as an insult, I didn't actually want you to become one you dope."

Arthur's face immediately flushed an angry red.

"What on earth are you implying you bloody wanker?!"

Patrick snorted, happy to see his brother's temper as vibrant as ever.

"Is_ that_ eating with us?" he asked, talking about the werewolf as if he weren't even there.

Arthur was about to make another comment when Gilbert jumped up and cut him off.

"Of course I am! Wouldn't want all of you to miss my awesome presence!"

Patrick's grin deflated, eyes turning to little angry slits.

"You're not getting anything if you keep talking like that, _dog_."

"Don't speak to him like that!" Arthur lectured his older brother, even though he used that word quite a lot himself. But only he was allowed to insult the werewolf in this house; his brothers were to keep their hands off of him.

Gilbert studied the following discussion with hanging jaw.

"Oh, sorry boyo. Guess I should call him your boyfriend. Or are you his little bird?"

Arthur seethed with anger, trying and failing to push his brother out of the room.

Gilbert curiously tilted his head, ears pointing upwards.

"My bird? I only call Matt Birdie…"

Arthur groaned and Patrick laughed.

"Ah, so the chap _is_ a fag!"

"You're not helping Gilbert! And you, get out!" Arthur yelled.

Before it could escalate, the door was suddenly opened further to reveal a healthy young adult with striking red hair and eyes a slightly darker shade of emerald than the youngest'.

"What is going on here?" Allistor said calmly, stern gaze falling on his bickering siblings.

"Arthur's a whoopsie-"

"Am not!" the blond interrupted indignantly.

Well, technically he did dream of a French accent and a flat chest, but Gilbert had absolutely nothing to do with it all.

Allistor raised an eyebrow, but his expression remained the same. Which meant that he had a piercing gaze that could kill with a single look.

"Never mind that. We can discuss the lad's sexual orientation after dinner."

Patrick quickly pulled Arthur along with him, ignoring his protests and embarrassed stuttering. Allistor motioned for Gilbert to follow them.

'_This is going to be interesting…'_ the Prussian thought as he quietly followed after the three loudly arguing brothers.

They entered a huge dining room, crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and a cosy fire roaring in a natural stone-mantel fireplace. Four people were already seated at the table, a maid bringing in a bowl with asparagus soup.

Sitting next to each other were Dylan and Finn Kirkland, the first having light-brown, almost blond hair and moss green eyes, a slender figure and the exact same hairstyle as Arthur. Finn was an almost identical twin of Patrick's, the only difference being a slightly more dark brown shade of hair and eyebrows leaning towards their younger sibling one's. Yes, the Kirkland brothers certainly did resemble each other a lot.

The other two present were Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland.

Lord Henry Kirkland was a great mage with a title of nobility, hair just as blond and messy as his youngest but with the thinner eyebrows of the older brothers. He had decided upon moving to the States after learning he could take a course in Creative Writing here and become a full-time writer, something he'd always dreamt off. His family simply had to adapt to his wishes, but luckily the boys grew adjusted to their new home fast enough. He was currently working at the local university, earning quite a bit of money with his articles on Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde.

The nymph by the name of Lady Jane Kirkland was almost the complete opposite of her husband; a free-spirited woman with cardinal curls that always seemed to be moving and buzzing with life. She was the culprit of Arthur's bushy eyebrows, but just like with him, it only helped in giving more expression to her ever-lively features. She always walked barefooted, but moved with the greatest of grace and elegance, proper etiquette well-known in her glossary. Her short green dresses reminded of forests and a warm summer breeze in the month of May. The boys got their scowling from Henry, but they definitely got their energy from their mother.

Arthur sat down next to Finn with a heavy grunt, motioning for Gilbert to do the same. The werewolf did as he was told, although a bit more nervous when confronted with such respectable adults.

"Oh, what is this? My dearest Ari, I didn't know you were having a friend over!"

Arthur groaned and laid his head on the table.

"Please mum, I asked you not to call me that again when we're with company!"

Jane giggled delightfully before turning to their guest.

"I don't think we've met yet luv. Mind telling me your name?"

Her fluorescent spheres were the exact same shade of green as Arthur's, and Gilbert found himself straightening his figure and holding back his usual swankiness, for once actually trying to impress someone with good manners instead of an over-the-top amount of charisma.

"My name's Gilbert Mrs. Kirkland, Gilbert Beilschmidt. I'm in the same year as Arti- Arthur."

Jane smiled warmly.

"You can call him Artie if that's what you always do sweetie. My baby doesn't mind."

They heard a little grunt of protest, but ignored it completely.

Allistor and Patrick sat down next to their mother, the young adults already having forgotten the previous discussion with their younger sibling and now chatting about work. Speaking about jobs: Patrick owned a pub, Allistor was an engineer, Dylan had a potion-and bookstore, and Finn worked as a pilot for a travel agency (he was the one who flew exchange students over from Western Europe). Gilbert was actually in quite a luck to see the whole family together, seeing as the oldest four had already graduated from high school and were now a fully functioning part of the monster society.

Lord Henry was reading a newspaper, sparing only a brief glance of acknowledgment at the albino before going back to the headline of that night; 'Student attacks teacher with hunting rifle.'

Before the family (and guest) got to eating their soup, a final member entered the room.

This newcomer was Lady Anglia Kirkland. She was Arthur's grandmother and the obvious Mater Familia of the Kirkland clan(1). The boys instantly fell silent as soon as she walked forward with disciplined strides, carefully taking in her surroundings. This woman simply oozed aristocracy; her long golden locks falling delicately over her shoulders, hands folded in front of her stomach, viridian eyes wise and all-seeing. But the most salient feature about her appearance were two life-size wings like that of an angel's, dragging across the floor and only a bit ruffled with age. Her nickname _was _the Britannia Angel, after all.

She stopped at the head of the table, a butler immediately walking over to pull her chair back and help her take a seat. As soon as the woman was comfortable, the chattering re-ignited, as if having waited for her mute approval.

"We have a guest," Anglia commented, not looking in Gilbert's direction but knowing he was there nonetheless.

"A friend of Arthur's apparently," Henry replied, again keeping his eyes on the paper in his hands.

Anglia nodded, after which she looked at Gilbert expectantly.

After getting a nudge from Arthur's elbow the werewolf rose from his seat, even making a short bow for good measure.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt your ladyship. Arthur and I go to the same school," he spoke, hoping he was using the right terms.

Anglia nodded again, after which she turned to her soup. This seemed to be the cue they'd been waiting for; all of a sudden everyone had a spoon in their mouth.

Arthur pulled Gilbert down again and advised him to do the same.

"Are dinners at your place always so stiff?" he said in a low voice, feeling a little aggravated by Anglia's behaviour.

Arthur shrugged.

"It's not that bad," he whispered back. "You just have to get used to it, that's all."

Gilbert decided to just go with the flow and copy the other's actions to make sure he didn't make any grave mistakes.

After soup came the main course: roast lamb with mint sauce, oven-baked potatoes with rosemary and garlic, and some parsnips and carrots as a side-dish.

Gilbert's eyes almost rolled out of their sockets at seeing such a delicious meal. Because one: knowing Arthur's cooking skills, he tried not to get his hopes up that his family _could_ in fact cook without blowing up the kitchen, and two: the werewolf came from a much poorer home, their pack having to fight for each little chicken leg or piece of minced meat, lovely blood-soaked steak being a luxury.

Gilbert thanked the gods for having him find Gilbird; it was because of the chick that he could now eat like a king.

"So, Gilbert luv, are you staying the night?" Jane asked after filling her plate. The woman had quite an appetite for someone with such a petite figure.

Gilbert shot a quick glance at his friend, waiting for the nod that told him he would indeed be staying here tonight.

"That's good! Ari doesn't have friends over that often," Jane cheered.

"Yes, why's that lad? Embarrassed of your own family?" Allistor said with a grunt. You really couldn't tell if he was just teasing, or actually suspicious.

"I just go to them more than the other way around," Arthur avoided the question.

It wasn't really embarrassment that made him keep his friends away; it was more like he didn't want to overwhelm them with his situation at home. Because even though Gilbert had called him a snob before, Arthur was anything but that, and he didn't want his friends to think otherwise.

Suddenly, Anglia's voice sounded across the table.

"So Mr. Beilschmidt, have you already decided what you want to become after you graduate?"

Gilbert was a little taken by surprise, him not instantly knowing how to react to the question. He quickly put his knife and fork down after having Arthur stomp on his foot, breaking him away from his state of bewilderment.

"I'm still not entirely sure. I might want to be something like a night guard or something like that, or maybe I'll take over our pack leader's job as gym teacher…" (The pack leader being coach Alfher, by the way.)

Anglia nodded. "Those are certainly respectable jobs."

But then Gilbert's eyes glazed over, lips spreading into a wide grin.

"But I would love to be a rock star."

The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, despite the fire still burning intensely.

The albino didn't notice, him now being stuck in his fantasies of being a famous idol, finally making the world take notice of his awesomeness.

Six sets of eyes exchanged worried glances with each other, all knowing what was about to come next.

Arthur was stubbornly glaring a hole in his plate, cursing the werewolf for bringing up the subject.

The others all looked away when Lord Henry finally put down his newspaper, brows furrowed angrily.

"A rock star," he repeated, as if tasting the words on the tip of his tongue.

Anglia returned to her meal, already knowing exactly what her son was going to say. She pitied her youngest grandson; Henry really could be quite a handful.

"Did you not say you wanted to be a rock star as well, Arthur?"

Gilbert snapped away from his little dream world to stare open-mouthed at the green-eyed mage. So that guitar wasn't just a hobby of his; he actually wanted to make his job out of it?

The werewolf grinned widely and slapped the other on the back.

"That's awesome Artie! Good luck with that!"

Arthur remained silent, shoulders tensed in a nervous way, eyebrows knitting together even tighter than his father's.

"So you think becoming a rock star is 'awesome', Mr. Beilschmidt?"

The werewolf immediately stopped grinning like an idiot when that stern gaze fell on him. He felt like at that moment, he lost an innocent little part of himself, knowing it would never return.

"Do you still think it is awesome when you get evicted from you house because you can't pay the rent? When you have to live in an apartment filled with cockroaches and rats, and that is if you're lucky? Do you think it is awesome to be addicted to all sorts of drugs, always thirsty for liquor you can't afford, so that you'll be forced to sell your body on the streets? Do you think that is _awesome_, Mr. Beilschmidt?"

Gilbert actually didn't see that much wrong with his description, but he wisely kept his trap shut. And how did Mr. Kirkland know so much about being a rock star?

"Now, seeing as you're not one of my own, I can't stop you from throwing your life away if that is what you so desperately desire. My own son however, will not become a rock star."

Arthur was gripping his fork so tightly it almost bent over.

"You can't stop me from doing what I want," came his defiant voice.

Henry cocked an eyebrow, looking unamused at his youngest' persistence.

"We have gone through this many times Arthur, and I will not say it again. You are not becoming a musician. That is simply out of the question. If you hadn't magically shielded that unholy instrument of yours, I would have thrown it away a long time ago."

Arthur shot up, chair loudly scraping over the wooden floor.

"Can I be excused?" he asked with gritted teeth, taking deep breathes to try and control his anger.

Henry was about to follow his lead and stand up, but his wife laid a hand on his elbow to stop him. She then looked at Arthur with a gentle expression.

"You may leave," she said, urging him to make his escape now that he still had the possibility to do so.

Arthur pulled Gilbert along with him and ushered him out of the room, wanting to create as much distance between him and his father as possible.

Anglia used a napkin to dap at her plump lips before taking a sip of wine. She knew her son and grandson's stubbornness all too well, for it was her own. But where _her_ anger came out in a much more calm and collected way, her boys simply exploded. It was best for Arthur to avoid such subjects around Henry as much as possible, for they were both very well-disciplined when it came to their knowledge of magic. And Anglia would much rather have the house stay in one piece.

With a sigh she set down her glass. Another regular day at the Kirkland residence. And right when she finally got to see one of Arthur's friends. She had already heard stories of the Japanese boy and the American brothers, but this specimen was new. Oh well, if Arthur didn't want to share such matters, that was in his own good right. She only hoped he wasn't hiding any secrets from his grandmother.

"Darling, don't you think you could give it a rest?" Jane tried to soothe her husband.

"Nonsense Jane! The boy needs to learn that starting a band has absolutely no future!"

Henry sighed and closed his eyes.

"You know I only want what's best for him."

"Of course dear."

The brothers had tuned out their conversation, already being more than familiar with the occasional discussion about their sibling's choice of career. In fact, almost every aspect of the boy's life had been talked about at least once at this very table.

The siblings didn't care much for such discussions. Yes, they too wanted what was best for their brother, but they also knew that sometimes it was better to let him be. Arthur was already eighteen years old, it was time for him to make his own decisions.

The brothers of course would never tell Arthur this, but the blond was actually quite coddled among them. It was a secret they had pledged to keep, not wanting their baby brother thinking his siblings were actually tender-hearted when it came to him.

xoxox

"I don't believe him!" Arthur raged, throwing books around like there was no tomorrow.

Gilbert sat on his bed and watched in silent amazement, making sure Gilbird didn't get hurt by the rampaging Brit. The bird was still fast asleep, the effects of the spell not having ended just yet.

The albino waited patiently for his friend to finish this little tantrum, knowing there wouldn't be much talking to him as long as the boy was ready to see blood.

The books were not so happy with the attention, but Arthur had a spell to easily put them back in their correct spaces as soon as he was finished throwing them around.

After fifteen minutes or so, the Brit finally calmed down a bit. He flopped onto his bed, panting after having released that much tension.

"Ist alles in Ordnung?" the werewolf asked, ears turning towards the blond in curiosity.

Arthur nodded, somehow understanding what the albino was saying to him.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," he said, cheeks turning a shameful red.

This was the first time Gilbert had ever visited his home, and then to be met by a father-son discussion and his host having an anger fit? Now that simply wouldn't do.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm way too awesome to be bothered by such petty things!"

Arthur snorted.

"Still, I apologize."

He then sat up again, looking at his half-destroyed room.

"I'll clean that up first, and then I'll bring in the extra mattress. You can sleep in my bed if you want to-"

Gilbert cut him off with a short barking laughter.

"No way! This is your room, you sleep in your bed."

Arthur straightened his figure.

"It is my duty as a gentleman to lend you my bed."

Gilbert smirked, rubies flickering playfully.

"If you're the gentleman, does that make me the Fräulein in this situation?"

It took a moment for the Brit to understand that remark. As soon as he did though, he flushed a dark crimson.

"Wha- What are you saying you bloody dog? I didn't mean it like that, I-"

Gilbert was laughing that obnoxious mix between a howl and a bark again, harshly slapping the Brit on his back.

"I was just teasing! Geez, your Vater really stresses you out huh?"

Arthur frowned angrily.

"That wasn't funny! I'm much too tired to be dealing with such jokes, you dog."

"You weren't that tired when you stormed away from the dining room. I didn't even get to finish my food!"

Arthur deflated and was about to apologize once again, but Gilbert laid a paw over his mouth to stop him.

"But I did hear something rather interesting. So little Ari wants to become a rock star huh?"

The mage slapped at the fingers covering his lips.

"Do not ever call me that, unless you want me to turn you into a girl!"

Gilbert almost fell on the floor from the laughter that erupted next.

"Why a girl?" he snickered, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Although, male or female, I'll always be awesome."

"Oh shut it!" Arthur grumbled, although a light smile did find its way to his face.

"No but really, about that rock star-thing. Did you mean it?"

Arthur sighed in frustration.

"Of course I meant it, I wouldn't be fighting with my father if it weren't for that!"

Gilbert grinned widely, red orbs holding a knowing mien to them.

"So what are you waiting for?"

Arthur stared at him for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, my dearest Ari-" He ducked to avoid a punch before continuing his explanation. "Why wait until after graduation? If you want to be a rock star, why not start now?"

Arthur leant back to study the wolf's face, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"What are you getting at?" he asked, the beginning of an idea starting to form in his head.

"I am saying: you have a guitar. I have a drum set. I know that if we ask Antonio, he'll join without hesitation – he has a guitar as well. We have all we need to start a band. So why not just do it? And I heard you a moment ago; you're definitely good enough to be in a band."

Arthur wanted to say the plan was preposterous, a huge waste of time. But then the thought grew, became something more palpable, something that maybe, _maybe_, could become reality.

His mouth slid into a wider grin.

Yes. He certainly liked this idea.

Emerald clashed with ruby, the mutual understanding combining their souls in that moment.

"Mr. Beilschmidt," Arthur said, in an exact imitation of his father's voice.

"I think we have ourselves an agreement."

And with that mage and werewolf shook the other's hand, sealing the deal.

The future starts now!

xoxox

**I'm sorry there are so much character introductions, but I think it's better to just get them out of the way early. And all of you most likely know Hetalia, so you already have a basic knowledge on all of the characters. I do like using new characters every once in a while, as it gives so much more possibilities. Especially when I can make whole families, even though it's just Lady Jane and Lord Henry that are full OCs. Don't worry if you're a bit confused about who has what looks and which name, I'll try to give them all some more screen time later on.**

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana  
>Story: Supermassive Black Hole - Unauthorizedx (For those of you who like smut. In this one, Prussia and Russia are werewolves in heat. I think you know what happens next.)<strong>

1) Anglia is the personification of Britannia.

Words:

Rot: Red (German)  
>Nein Danke: No thank you<br>Fräulein: Miss  
>Ist alles in Ordnung?: Is everything all right?<br>Vater: Father


	9. Chapter 8: Rosso

Chapter 8: Rosso

**Ah, yes. Perhaps I should have given you guys a little heads-up last chapter. Some chapters will be written in other character's perspective, to show what's happening to them while Alfred's story is going on. Also, you can look at Arthur's part as some sort of side-story. It's still set during the events of the main story, it just focusses on what's going on with Arthur while all that is happening.**

xoxox

Ivan was truly world's greatest mystery.

That is what Alfred thought as he stalked behind the tall demon, the two teens wandering seemingly aimlessly through empty hallways.

"Where are we going again?" he asked for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Alfred," the Russian groaned in exasperation. "I did not invite you along so you could annoy me. So please, shut up."

The sunny blond grumpily shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Then why_ did_ you invite me?" he growled.

'_It'd better not involve any rape or cannibalism,'_ he added as an afterthought.

Ivan shot a smile at the boy over his shoulder.

"I figured you would get bored all alone in that big classroom."

…Huh?

Wait, wait, wait.

So Ivan had invited him along, purely for the sake of him not getting bored? Not for any personal gain or more enforced slavery?

"You're kidding," Alfred breathed, eyebrows ready to fly up into the sky and mouth making a perfect imitation of a fish.

The Slavic monster giggled happily after seeing his face. He even had the nerve to applaud.

"You facial expressions are better than television, little one!"

Alfred turned his head, a light blush on his cheeks.

"And your face comes straight out of a horror movie," he grumbled softly.

He suddenly bumped into the other, the collision forcing his glasses to slide off.

"What the fuck…" the boy cursed, rubbing his forehead after having fallen inelegantly to the ground.

"Prosti. I should have warned you. You Americans should pay better attention to your surroundings, da?"

Alfred snatched away the glasses that were held out to him and quickly returned them to the bridge of his nose. Ivan was standing in front of a door, apparently having reached his destination.

Alfred was about to reach out to the doorknob when a hand grabbed his wrist. He suppressed the reaction his body wanted to give to that stone-cold touch, and turned to glare at the Russian.

"What?!"

Ivan looked at the door, then back at Alfred, as if trying to make a decision.

"…You wait here," he said, before letting go of him and disappearing into the room, locking the door behind him.

"Hey!" Alfred tried to stop him, before remembering he was supposed to be having detention right now and he'd better keep quiet if he didn't want to get caught. The vampire tried to turn the knob, despite knowing the door was locked from the inside.

'_What's the point in bringing me if I don't even get to see what you're doing?'_ he thought in frustration.

Just when he finally thought he would get to unravel a piece of information about Ivan's daily life, the door was slammed shut in his face. Literally.

Alfred slid down against the wall and stared angrily at the offending piece of wood, pulling his legs up and resting his chin on his knees. He occasionally glanced around, making sure nobody was coming. After about five minutes, the door was unlocked and opened again. Violet orbs shot to him with an apologetic look.

"Izvinite, little one. But this is something I would rather do by myself."

Alfred kept his mouth shut, looking like a pouting child that didn't get any candy in the supermarket.

Ivan smiled that creepy little smile of his, slightly tilting his head.

"Do not sulk, da?"

"I'm not sulking," Alfred huffed, puffing out his cheeks.

Ivan giggled before bending over. Alfred did his best not to lean back as his personal space was invaded once more, bravely locking eyes with the other.

"If you behave now, little American, I will take you somewhere after school."

"Somewhere?" Alfred questioned, forgetting his anger in a flash.

Ivan nodded.

"But where?"

The demon smiled before standing back up.

"You will see after detention. Now come."

He started walking again, not waiting for the other to respond.

Alfred was a bit bewildered. Him and Ivan going somewhere after school? What would it be? A movie perhaps, or a store? Oh- Maybe Ivan would take him to the ice cream parlour! That'd be neat…

…Wait, didn't that sound a lot like a date or somethin'?

Alfred instantly shot up like a jack-in-the-box and raced after his companion.

"Wait! I'm not going!" he hissed, suddenly not looking forward to spending time alone with the icy demon _at all_.

"Why not dorogoy?"

"Because, because…"

Like he could tell him.

"Because you're a freak! And I'm going back to the classroom right now!"

Ivan laid a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Nyet."

"What do you mean, 'nyet'?! If I don't want to, I ain't coming."

Ivan's eyes slid close, smile becoming eerie.

"Oh but you are coming, little one. Because I tell you to. And you are to listen to me, understand?"

Alfred crossed his arms, strengthening his stance.

"And what if I don't care what you want? What if you can just go ahead and tell everyone? I bet you're not even planning on telling on me, that this is all a trick!"

Ivan's eyes opened again, amethysts burning dangerously. He moved forward, forcing the blond against the wall, placing his hands by the other's sides, and successfully trapping him in.

"Oh, Alfred," he said mockingly, temperature dropping to below freezing-point.

"Alfred, Alfred, Alfred."

The vampire simply stood there, his arms still crossed, but adrenaline racing through his stiffened body. Ivan hadn't frozen him yet, but he probably would if he were to try and fight back.

"I do not care what you want, dorogoy. I am telling you that you are coming with me tonight, and you simply have to obey. I you do not-"

Alfred shuddered when that oversized nose lightly traced his jawline, all sorts of alarm bells going off at the creepy gesture.

"You will get on my bad side. And believe me, little one. You do _not_ want to get on my bad side."

Oh yes. Alfred didn't doubt that for a second.

However, that still didn't mean he was just going to obey without a fight.

So the boy growled as he suddenly uncrossed his arms, successfully pushing the other off. Ivan wasn't about to let this disobedience go by unpunished.

The Russian's grin turned truly demonic as he focussed all of his powers on the stubborn vampire. Alfred would have yelped if he still had control over his vocal cords.

The boy was slammed against the wall by a sudden blizzard, frost biting at pieces of naked flesh and the paralyzing cold slipping under his skin. He tried to fight it off, but realized he was powerless against the demon. Alfred swore he could see purple flames rising behind Ivan, amazed they didn't leave burn marks on the walls surrounding his figure.

"If you attack me one more time, I will have to resort to violence, da?" the demon spoke (because obviously, this wasn't violence to him). His voice was again a few pitches lower than the usual. The eyes were glowing predatorily, an almost blinding lavender with a vague hint of vermilion dots at the edges.

When Alfred's lips went numb and he looked like he was about to pass out, they could hear footsteps approaching.

Ivan immediately stopped his assault and shot forward to catch the other's limp body. He quickly opened the door to a storage room and hurried in, hiding both of their figures from the passing teacher.

Alfred gasped when he could finally breathe again, but the sound was muffled by Ivan's hand. The demon quietly shook his head, a sign for Alfred not to make any noise if he didn't want to give away their position.

Alfred sent him one of his most venomous leers, fists ready to punch the other a second time. He considered biting the offending hand, but knew that probably wasn't such a good idea seeing as he was a vampire.

The closet was completely dark, but Ivan's eyes worked like little flashlights, a mysterious glowing that simply couldn't be overlooked. They both had to bend over; their bodies far too big to fit in such a tight space. Alfred felt a broom nudging his back and had to be careful not to knock anything over and cause an avalanche.

Once the coast was clear, Ivan removed his hand. Alfred immediately burst through the doors, wanting to create as much distance between himself and the demon as possible. He was getting sick and tired of the low temperatures and unwanted touches, suddenly not liking winter as much as he used to.

Ivan watching him with interest, as if not even realizing the vampire's current behaviour was all his doing.

"You!" Alfred spat, pointing angrily at the ashen blond. "Stop attacking me, you asshole! You're the only monster at school who uses his powers like that! Where are your morals dude?!"

"My morals?"

"Yeah, your morals! Or don't you even have those?!"

Ivan smiled thoughtfully, rolling his eyes.

"Of course I have morals, koshka."

"Shut up!" Alfred growled.

He had a defensive posture, ready to either escape or start a fight, not caring that neither of those were a possibility.

"I mean it dude! If you don't want me to turn you in, you'd better stop doing that! I'm not just some toy for you to play with, I'm a human being with feelings and a will of my own!"

Both of them ignored the 'human being' part for the moment.

"If you turn me in, I will kill you."

"And if you kill me, I'll come back from the dead to haunt your commie ass!"

Ivan opened his mouth, but no sounds left him. This was when the vampire's words finally came through.

The demon was astonished. For several reasons, to be quite frank.

One: this was the longest conversation he'd ever had with someone, without the other cowering away or just answering with a "yes sir, right away."

Two: Alfred wasn't afraid of him. True, at first he'd still looked a bit frightened, but now he was only pissed. And he dared talk back. No one had ever had the guts to do that.

Three: Ivan had almost raised his voice. And Ivan never had to raise his voice to get what he wanted.

Four: Ivan was speechless. He didn't know how to respond anymore.

This is what finally did the trick, what sent him over the edge.

Alfred watched in utmost confusion as Ivan broke down in hysterical laughter. The demon fell to his knees, his eyes squeezed shut and tears rolling down his cheeks before freezing and crashing to the ground. His hands were clutching his sides, as if worried his intestines would fall out. The high-pitched giggling soon turned into a deep howling, the ashen blond having lost all control over his voice.

"Ivan?" Alfred asked, fearing the demon had truly lost his mind.

"P-prosti!" Ivan managed to utter, before letting out a hiccup and continuing his little breakdown.

Alfred didn't really know how to handle this situation. He was supposed to be mad at the demon, but now he couldn't suppress the tinge of concern that clouded his emotions.

He looked left and right, seeing no one who could help him with this predicament. The boy began to slowly back away, taking one step at the time. Maybe Ivan would calm down after some time alone?

As he was almost at the corner however, the Russian called him back.

"Wait! I will not l-laugh anymore, I p-promise!" Ivan giggled, at last regaining authority over his body. "I am sorry."

Alfred watched him warily as the demon stood up.

"The hell was that about?"

Ivan shook his head.

"It was a- What do you call it… Inside joke?"

Alfred said nothing in return.

Ivan waved a hand at him.

"Yoo hoo! Are you still there?"

Alfred slowly jerked his head up and down.

"I can't decide if you're insane or prematurely demented. Probably both."

Ivan smiled, deciding to let the insult pass.

"I wanted to tell you that I have come to a certain conclusion. If you continue to do as I say, I will try not to use my powers on you anymore. Or at least not that much."

Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

The demon smiled gently.

"I have my reasons. Do you accept my offer?"

Alfred hummed in thought. He jumped from one foot to the other, tongue rolling against his inner-cheek.

Even if he didn't know the reasons for this sudden change of mind, not having to be frozen all the time did sound nice. And Ivan would probably do that a lot more if they were to continue their current relatio- agreement. Agreement, nothing else. Alfred didn't like the Russian one single bit.

But he just had to accept that offer. Not only because Ivan knew his secret and he didn't want as much pain anymore. He accepted the offer because for some reason, he stayed interested in the demon's background. Whatever the guy did to him, Alfred kept being drawn to him, for reasons unknown to even himself. Maybe he was secretly a masochist. Maybe he was just way too curious for his own good.

Let's hope curiosity wouldn't kill the cat in this case.

"Fine."

Ivan grinned widely, eyes sparkling with glee.

"Let us continue on our way then."

Before either of them could move though, they heard more footsteps.

Ivan instantly disappeared. One moment he was there, and after the blink of an eye he was gone.

"Braginski?" Alfred asked, too surprised to go into hiding himself.

A figure rounded the corner, the vampire mentally cursing himself for not getting back into the storage room.

Luckily for him, it turned out to be one of the muse twins, Feliciano Vargas.

"Ve~, I knew I heard voices! Ciao Alfredo! Weren't you with someone?"

Alfred smiled at the Italian, happy to see a normal person for once.

"Hi Feliciano! And no, it's just me. I was uh, talking to myself. Yeah."

He didn't want the ditzy boy to know he was here with Ivan.

"So what're you doing here?"

"Ve~, I wanted to talk to Grandpa Rome, but the door to his office was locked and I could hear strange noises inside. I figured he was in a meeting, so I decided to come back later."

Wait, wasn't coach Alfher with their headmaster?

Noises... Meeting… Locked door…

Alfred quickly tried to change the subject, mind halting on the edge of one of the most dangerous thoughts he'd ever had.

"So uh, what did you want to discuss with him?"

"Ve! Fratello had a new idea for this year's Winter Celebration, so I wanted to talk about it with grandpa!" Feliciano said while smiling blissfully (him and his brother being the only real grandsons of their headmaster).

Feliciano and Lovino, along with Antonio, Emma and Mogens(1), were all part of the team that organized the yearly Winter Celebration. It usually consisted of a prom for the higher years (Alfred's year included) and a talent show for the lower years. During the course of the night there was also a carnival, open for everyone.

By the way, some more info on Emma and Mogens. They were brother and sister, Emma being a witch and Mogens a necromancer (though he only used his powers when someone owed him money and couldn't pay him back). He was in charge of the bookkeeping of the party, Emma took care of decorations and chocolaty treats, Antonio did the music and drinks, and the Vargas twins were assigned to other snacks and entertainment. They also had some other people helping them, but Alfred only knew those five. And oh yeah, Emma and Lovino were a couple, although it wasn't official yet.

…Yeah, being acquainted to creatures like Francis and Elizabeta really gave you knowledge of all the latest rumours. It also didn't help that that Hungarian was friends with Feliks Łukasiewicz, the number one 'gossip girl' of the school.

But back to the conversation. Apparently the sunny blond really had zoned out for a bit, because the Italian was waving a hand in front of his face, worry adorning his features.

"Alfredo? Are you still there? Hhhhhhhheeeeeellllllllllooooooooooooo?"

Alfred blinked and grinned his hundred watt-smile.

"Yeah, don't worry! Sorry Feli, was just lost in thought for a moment."

Feliciano sighed in relief.

"Good, I was worried you were having a brain failure or something!"

"A brain failure? Why a brain failure?" Alfred laughed.

"Because fratello often says I'll have one if I try to think too much! He also says it when he thinks I'm eating too much pasta…"

"You can get a brain failure from pasta?" Alfred wondered, not recognizing what was obviously meant as an insult. Feliciano and him weren't always the brightest lights in the bunch when it came to reading the atmosphere.

"Ve, I hope not. I really do love pasta…"

The vampire patted him sympathetically on the shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry bud. You just keep eating pasta if that's what you love. Heck, being a vampire never stopped me from eating what I want!"

Feliciano's face lit up like the Fourth of July at his words. His auburn hair instantly brightened, that funny curl of his springing up like a dog's tail, rosy tint coloring his boyish cheeks. Luckily he didn't open his eyes, because that would have been disastrous. Feliciano's liquid golden caramels had certain effects on others that nobody really liked to talk about. There was a reason the Italian always kept his eyes shut.

"Ve~, you really think so?"

"I'm sure of it."

Feliciano happily jumped forward and enveloped him in a hug. The blond awkwardly patted him on the back, not entirely sure on how he should return it.

"Grazie Alfredo! If you ever need inspiration, just tell me!"

Alfred smiled. "I'll remember it."

Feliciano was a muse after all; him giving you inspiration meant you could paint something better than the Mona Lisa once his powers came into effect.

"I have to go now. Ciao Alfredo! See you at school tomorrow!"

"Yeah, bye Feli."

He waited until the Italian disappeared from his sight before letting out a content sigh. Meeting up with the bubbly muse always seemed to lift his spirits.

It was only then that he remembered he wasn't alone in the hallway.

"Braginski?"

No reaction.

His blue eyes shot around, but there was no one to be seen. He walked back to the storage room, cautiously opening the door and peeking inside.

No one there.

The blond scratched his head. Apparently the demon had already left.

Oh well. If that was indeed the case, he'd better go back the way he came.

Alfred spun on his heels and made for the end of the hallway. However, when he was almost at the corner, he stopped, foot still raised in the air and arms dangling by his sides.

A chilly gush rose from the shadows, caressing his face, forming little snowflakes on his glasses. A hand was placed on his left cheek, the touch stinging yet bearable. He could feel the other's presence behind him as the figure shifted, leaning forward. Another hand on his chest, breath tickling his right ear as the demon spoke.

"You can go back to detention now, little Alfred. I have more important business to attend to. I will see you this Saturday for that reward I promised you, da? Wait for me at the cemetery. If you do not show up, I will have to start using my powers again. Until then lapushka~"

And with that it was gone, the pressure on his cheek and chest along with the ashen blond himself. Alfred bewilderedly looked around, but the hallway was once again void of any life.

He rubbed at his cheek, still feeling a tingling on the flushed skin. The Russian really had to stop touching him in such a creepy way, it was giving him goose bumps.

Alfred took one step. Nobody stopped him.

Then another. And another and another, until he was running, racing down the corridor and back to detention class, not knowing if that ominous giggling in the darkness was real or imaginary.

How had he gotten himself into such deep shit again?

xoxox

Vasilica looked like a living corps. Which technically he was, but he looked extraordinarily bad today.

It was Friday night, and the vampire was here to drop off his little brother. Alfred was in a good mood for once, since Ivan hadn't shown up that day. No idea why, but the blue-eyed teen had taken the chance to relax a bit and socialize with Kiku.

So now, he was a bit surprised to see Vasilica in such a different state of mind. His face even whiter than usual, dark bags under his paled eyes, strawberry blond hair having lost its usual shine.

"What happened to you?" Alfred asked in amazement, stepping aside to let his guests in.

"I haven't eaten in nearly two weeks," the senior explained.

He placed Vladimir on the ground and took off the boy's ragged coat.

Now that Alfred took a closer look, Vasilica's outfit was a lot less fashionable than he'd always thought. They were still nice clothes, but not expensive brands or anything.

"Why?" he asked.

Vasilica shot him a pained smile.

"I don't want to leave Vlad alone all the time to go hunting."

He took off the boy's shoes as well before continuing.

"You might not have noticed, but we don't exactly have the money to buy a lot of blood bags from the bank. The hunt is absolutely vital for us."

He stood up, steadying himself against the wall. Sure, vampires could go without fresh blood for quite a while, but to not eat _anything_ at all really drained your energy. It could even kill you in the long run.

"I can see this surprises you. You probably thought we were rich huh?"

That was in fact exactly what the American had thought.

Vasilica shook his head.

"No. It's just Vladdy and me. Since I have to go to school, I can't work yet. So I try to get as much out of every hunt as possible."

He gently stroked Vladimir's hair, getting a smile in return.

"I told you I can come with you," the boy reminded him.

Vasilica laughed, but shook his head a second time.

"No squirt. You're too young for that. I don't want you getting into trouble."

Vlad sulkily crossed his arms, making his brother chuckle at the adorable sight.

Alfred was truly dumbfounded. He'd always thought people worshipped the Romanian because he was such a high-class vampire, but apparently he had difficulty keeping his small family fed. And then to take care of Vladimir all by himself…

Alfred was really beginning to like the senior. Especially since he had just told all this to a guy he barely hung out with, and acted like it was no big deal.

Now if only that childishly nagging voice in the back of his mind could go away; an annoying whine that didn't _want_ to like the guy at all.

"You don't have to worry anymore now!" he quickly said to silence that voice. "If you want to go hunting, just leave him with me!"

Vasilica shot him a thankful smile, but Vladimir looked confused.

"Then what about you? Don't you have to go hunting?"

Alfred's hero-smile looked a bit strained, his eye twitching.

"Don't worry about that kid, I'll be fine."

Vlad opened his mouth to ask another question, but Vasilica quickly silenced him.

"You're in good hands Vladdy. I want you to be nice to Alfred."

Vladimir nodded, obviously taking his brother a lot more serious than his babysitter.

"I have to go now, I'm already weak with hunger. Or thirst if you want," Vasilica chuckled, a tremble in his voice. "Can we talk about a schedule when I return?"

Alfred smiled and nodded.

"Sure thing! And I promise I'll take good care of Vlad."

"I know you will. See you two in a couple of hours!"

And with that he was gone, using the last of his strength to provide his family with a meal.

Alfred stared after him, until he felt a tugging at his hand. When he looked down, he could see tiny fingers grasping his hand, Vladimir eyeing him with an angelic smile.

Alfred grinned.

"Okay bud. Let's go inside shall we?"

xoxox

Matthew was walking home from the library. His pet polar bear Kumajiro was walking beside him, making a drowsy little waggle indicating his want for rest.

Matthew found Kumajiro shortly after his transformation. The animal was just looking through the garbage, minding its own business. But when it locked eyes with the nightly creature, they instantly felt connected. Matthew didn't even have to ask anything, the bear just instantly decided to stay by his side.

True, they forgot each other's names all the time. But they shared an emotional bond. When Matthew was in pain, Kumajiro was too. When the cub felt happy or sad, Matthew couldn't help but share the sentiment.

It was a mystery, but one he was truly grateful of. Like they were destined to meet or something.

It also came in handy that, not only did the bear have good instincts, it could also speak his language.

"Hamburger," Kumajiro suddenly said.

Matthew stopped and frowned. By 'hamburger' the polar bear probably meant his brother. Kuma didn't really bother with remembering names.

"What about Al?"

Kumajiro looked up, beady black eyes a little less lazy than a moment before.

"Hear him."

They were still two streets from home, but if Kumajiro said he could hear him, then he did.

Knowing his brother, he was playing videogames again or something. Still, when Matthew started walking again, he did so at a little faster pace.

After entering the next street and focussing, Matthew's heightened hearing picked up on his twin's voice as well.

"Noooooooooooooo…"

Matthew soon began running, alarmed by the distress in the other's voice. Alfred was a virgin; if anyone were to attack the house, he wouldn't stand a chance. Yes, he definitely had muscles, but mere muscles were no match for powerful demons or full-fledged vampires right after feeding.

"Stop that, you little brat! Let go of me!"

Matthew raced through their front yard and slammed open the door.

"Alfred?! Where are you?"

"Maaaaaaattttttiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" whined his twin's voice.

Matthew quickly grabbed his hockey stick before entering the living room, ready to start a fight with whoever dared touch his brother.

What he saw there made him pause.

Alfred was currently in a very weird position: arms crossed under his body, stomach turned towards the ceiling, one knee hanging over another. Beneath his figure was a small boy Matthew soon recognized as the little Vladimir, and he was tickling his brother's sides. The sunny blond was giggling obnoxiously, obviously not in any real danger.

Matthew sighed in relief and frustration, lowering his hockey stick.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"S-sorry!" Alfred managed to utter, before continuing with his laughing.

"I-I keep t-telling him I'm t-ticklish, but he doesn't l-listen!"

Vladimir was grinning tom boyishly, enjoying their game of twister very much.

"By the way Al, why is Vasilica's little brother here?"

"Didn't I t-tell you?" Alfred asked. "I'm babysitting!"

He finally collapsed onto the ground, making Vlad the winner of this game.

Matthew was about to ask his brother why on earth he was doing Vasilica a favour, the guy he never had anything good to say about, when Vladimir ran up to him.

"Are you Alfred's brother?"

Matthew smiled gently at the kid.

"Yes, I am. My name's Matthew. Nice to meet you Vlad."

The boy smiled widely.

"Then you have to play too!"

And with that he dragged Matthew over to the middle of the living room, forcing the twins to entertain him.

Babysitting Vladimir turned out to be a lot more fun than they'd expected.

xoxox

**Moldova is one of my favourite micro-nations. He's really cute, hardworking, Romania's brother, cheerful, and knows how to read the atmosphere with Russia. Need I say more?**

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: Bad Reputation - Joan Jett  
>Story: Multicultural Encounters - Silvermoon of Forestclan (Some lovely Twilight-bashing with the Hetalia characters reliving situations Bella Swann had to go through.)<strong>

1) Emma is Belgium, and Mogens is the Netherlands. I called him Abel in another story, but I find this name better.

Words:

Rosso: Red (Italian)  
>Izvinite: I'm sorry<br>Koshka: Cat  
>Ciao: HiBye  
>Fratello: Brother<br>Grazie: Thank you  
>Lapushka: Darling<p> 


	10. Chapter 9: Rood

Chapter 9: Rood

**Another question reached my ears: how does everyone age?**

**The most human-like creatures age just like humans do (creatures who use magic for example).  
>Werewolves age just a little slower. They are mortal, but have animal instincts and heightened strength and senses.<br>Vampires don't age at all. They stay the same from when they are bitten. Vampires are technically immortal, but can be weakened enough to kill them by not giving them any blood.  
>Demons age really slowly, and have the ability the stop the aging process (think incubi). They are also technically immortal in general, but there are different kinds of demons, so that rule might not apply to all.<br>Creatures who die mostly pass away, unless they still have some unresolved business left on earth. In that case, they come back as ghosts. Grandpa Rome for example, vowed that he wouldn't leave the school unprotected, and came back to his position as headmaster. He was a muse as well back when he was still alive.**

**Again, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask them! I'm happy with the feedback.**

**Also a little warning: there will be a tiny bit of gore coming up.**

xoxox

The remainder of the week was rather uneventful. Alfred got away with that one day of attention. Alfher never noticed he had been gone and Rome was in a terribly good mood for some reason, so he decided not to give him any more punishment if he promised not to fight again.

No one mentioned Ivan's absence. Not that it really mattered, because now it was Saturday, and he would have to see the guy again.

After telling his twin that he was going to Kiku, Alfred made his way to the cemetery for his date-that-was-so-not-a-date-oh-my-god-how-can-you-even-think-that.

He settled down on a tombstone after a quick apology to the person occupying its grave. Hey, you never know who might come back as a ghost to haunt you.

When the blond felt a speck of snow on the tip of his nose, his first reaction was to look around and search for Ivan's presence. However, when he couldn't find the demon anywhere, he let his gaze wander up.

Several tiny snowflakes were swirling about, dancing through the air. Alfred breathed out, a cloud of frosty dust escaping the cavern of his mouth.

Winter was approaching. Winter meant Christmas and the holidays, hot chocolate by the fireplace, ice skating and snowball fights. But it also meant longer nights, which lead to less sleep and more work. You could say that also meant more time for hunting, but there were less people outside on a cold snowy night.

Winter was a time of joy, but also one of suffering. Alfred used not to care, since he never went hunting anyway. But now, with the ritual coming so close and his new interactions with a certain icy monster, he didn't know how to feel about it anymore.

The vampire perked up when he heard a set of footsteps. They were soft but audible to his oversensitive ears. The owner stopped somewhere behind him, as if he could fool the other into thinking he was gone.

Alfred looked over his shoulder, finding nothing but darkness. The teen cleared his throat and spoke up, voice echoing over the empty cemetery.

"I know you're there dude. Come out and show yourself."

A low chuckle could be heard before Ivan stepped into the light.

The silvery shine in his greyish blond locks was reinforced by the reflecting moon behind him. The Russian was clothed in an oversized grey-beige trench coat, either to further conceal his figure or maybe suppress his powers – Alfred could only guess. The white scarf was draped around his neck as always, and those long bony fingers were hidden behind black leather gloves. The Slavic demon's heavy boots made almost no sound as he treaded the earth, bits of ice and snow fluttering up from where his feet made contact with the ground. Ivan would look absolutely perfect with a snowy background.

"Privet Alfred. I am happy to see you came."

"Not like you left me any choice…" the boy mumbled.

He jumped off of the tombstone and casually sauntered over to the other.

"All right, let's get this over and done with. Where d'ya wanna go tonight?"

Ivan muffled an amused giggle by his hand.

"Always so impatient~" the demon nearly purred.

Alfred rolled his eyes before folding his arms.

"Well, it's not like I wanna be here, so let's just get on with it."

Ivan's face dropped for the tiniest of seconds before morphing back into that trademark smile of his.

"If you insist, dorogoy."

Alfred huffed.

"And would you stop calling me that?! Or at least tell me what the F it means!"

Ivan lowered his eyelids.

"'My lips are sealed,' I believe the expression is."

The vampire angrily flipped him off before walking away.

"Ah, where are you going?" Ivan called after him, taking big strides to catch up.

"Leaving. Because apparently you only called me all the way out here just to make fun of me."

Ivan put a hand to his chest. For once, Alfred didn't have to shudder at the touch, frosty skin safely separated from his own by several layers of clothing and gloves.

"Prosti. I will stop now da? And then we can go do what I originally wanted to do."

Alfred raised an eyebrow at his sudden polite behaviour. Normally the demon would have lunged at him, not apologize for his rudeness. Oh well, the guy did suffer from some severe mood swings. Better to just ignore it and take him up on that offer.

Alfred sighed.

"Okay then Ruski. What is it you wanted to do?"

Ivan smiled, eyes twinkling with glee.

"We are going to do the hunting da?"

What.

Did Ivan- Did he just use the H-word?

Did he just say they were going out hunting?

Now?

But-but…

Ivan knew his secret! The commie fucking knew there was no way he could hunt!

Or did the Russian perhaps think that he could, but just chose not to?

This was… This was bad… He could feel himself panicking at the mere thought…

'_Okay Jones. Breathe. Just breathe. Everything's going to be all right.'_

The icy demon watched in silence as different emotions shot over the blond's face.

Shock: his eyes growing wide, mouth slightly agape, breath-intake cut short.

Anger: eyebrows knitting together, sapphires intensifying, nostrils flaring.

Fear: pupils growing smaller, lips trembling ever-so-slightly.

And then he finally closed his eyes, slowly taking in fresh air to try and compose himself.

Ivan tilted his head and smiled, a small twitching upwards at the corners of his mouth. He had no idea why the vampire displayed such a wide arrange of emotions, but it certainly was very interesting to observe.

"Are you ready to leave now?" he asked as soon as his companion seemed to have calmed down.

Alfred re-opened his eyes, watching the other warily.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because…" Alfred clenched his fists. "Because I can't."

Ivan cocked his head to the other side.

"Oh, you are referring to what happened last time? Do not worry dorogoy. I will be the one doing the hunting. It is feeding time after all. You are simply to assist me."

Alfred opened and closed his mouth, wanting to protest but not knowing how.

Ivan laid a gloved finger over his thin smirking lips.

"Hush now little one. You are to follow my orders. Remember? And do not say that I have given you hard tasks. You know I have gone easy on you."

Other than the unnecessary violence, unwanted touching and way too much time spent together, Alfred had to admit he was right. Ivan hadn't exactly made him do anything too embarrassing or gave him tasks that were impossible to complete. It was still slavery, but… a good kind?

Alfred hung his head in defeat.

"Fine," he said, for what sounded like the millionth time that day.

Ivan smiled once more, a real smile this time.

"Come."

xoxox

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing… *Click*

"Moshi moshi."

"Hello Kiku? It's Matthew. Can you give me Alfred for a moment?"

"Aah… Gomenasai, but Alfred-kun is not here at the moment."

"…I see…"

After ending the call with a lengthy exchange of polite greetings, one thought crossed the blond's mind.

'_Why is my twin lying to me?'_

xoxox

The two monsters were standing in an empty street, Ivan peeking around the corner and keeping a close eye on passers-by. His pupils honed in on every single one of them, as if scanning all the possible prey before choosing the best pick.

Meanwhile, Alfred was trying his hardest not to panic.

'_It's okay Jones… You'd have to try hunting again eventually… And it's just assisting, you don't have to do any killing yourself…'_

He looked up when Ivan tapped him on the shoulder. The demon pointed at a shady-looking man hurrying down the main street.

"You stay here, I will chase him to you."

Before Alfred could protest, the other had disappeared.

"Braginski!" the vampire hissed, but no reaction came.

Alfred carefully peeked his nose around the corner, watching the man. He looked blissfully unware of what was about to happen to him.

He flinched when the streetlights suddenly went out. The man was immediately on guard, his head jerking left and right. Of course he couldn't see a thing.

The human was about to continue on his way when a wall of ice manifested itself right in front of his eyes.

"Okay, whoever's fuckin' with me, show yourself!" the man yelled.

Alfred held his breath when he saw him pull out a gun. This was not just an innocent walking enthusiast.

Ivan made his next move.

The man began screaming when the demon placed himself behind the ice, features enlarged by the reflection and eyes looking like hellish orbs. Their prey forgot that he was armed and instinctively started running, straight towards Alfred's hiding spot.

The teen took in a breath and stretched his leg.

The man cursed plentifully as his foot got stuck behind something and his face hit the pavement. He was given no time to look at his attackers, as Ivan seemed to teleport behind him, grabbed him by his hair and smashed his skull in on the pavement.

Alfred had to look away when he heard that sickening crack. The smell of blood filled the air. He clasped a hand over his nose in order not to get tempted by it.

The moment he did look back, he found himself unable to tear his gaze away a second time.

Ivan looked like a vicious beast, straight from ancient legends.

His large figure sat bent over the body of his diseased victim, concealing it from the eyes of curious onlookers. His hands and the area around his mouth were soaked with blood. His eyes were blazing, red for once the overpowering colour.

There was nothing elegant or graceful about him as he parted his lips and sunk his now tainted teeth into mushy flesh. They slid down like knives through butter, breaking skin and cutting through muscle. He sucked on the mutilated shoulders, eyes closed in rapture as his tongue slid down the hole he had created. Once he reached the bones, he simply cracked them down the middle to reach the soft organs behind them.

Alfred whimpered. Nausea washed over his body, finding no way to relieve itself. He wanted so desperately to run away and never return to these images, but he just couldn't.

Finally, Ivan noticed the other's distress. He lifted up his face, wiping the crimson liquid from his mouth.

"Oh, sorry. You must be hungry too, da?"

With a disgusting wet sound he ripped a piece of flesh from the man's torso. He then held the bloody meat out for the other, smiling sweetly.

"Here you go. But do not ask for more."

Alfred stared at the piece for a total amount of five seconds. Then he found his voice again.

"You- We… You killed him!"

Ivan cocked his head to the side.

"Da. That is usually the case when you hunt, right?"

He tried to force the meat upon his companion, but Alfred slapped it out of his hand. His face was contorted by repulsion.

"You killed a human being! And you think I'm gonna help you eat him?! No way dude, this is sick!"

Ivan got up and began to carefully approach him.

"But Alfred. That is what we are. This is what we do."

The boy frantically shook his head, backing away from this nightmarish hallucination.

"Not me! I don't… I'm not…"

Ivan successfully trapped him against the wall, forcing his gaze up.

"Yes you are."

He then grabbed the other's chin, putting pressure to his jaw and forcing his mouth open. He let his bloodied thumb graze a pointy tooth.

"You are a vampire, dorogoy. There is nothing you can do to change that. And vampires need blood."

Alfred pulled his head loose and looked to the side, spitting out the bile that had been forming in his throat. His body was shaking with suppressed hysteria, trying its hardest to contain the upcoming thirst.

"That's the whole problem, you damn commie! I don't want their fucking blood! I just want to go to the movies and feed my homework to the dog and eat hamburgers and ice cream in front of my TV!"

He wriggled himself free. Ivan, surprisingly enough, did nothing to stop him. The emotion on his face was unreadable.

Alfred slowly backed away, refusing to look at the mangled corpse.

"Please stop wasting your time with me. I'm dead meat anyway."

And with those words he turned around and ran off, sprinting home as fast as his legs could carry him.

Ivan didn't move, staring after him with hooded eyes and hanging arms.

The moment Alfred got home he raced up the stairs and leapt onto his bed.

There he could finally let out the scream of desperation he'd been holding in.

xoxox

It was Monday morning.

Alfred was sitting at the breakfast table, drinking blood through a straw. Not that he felt much like drinking blood at the moment, but his body needed it.

His head was supported by his left hand, eyes staring at a wrinkle in the wallpaper. He wasn't very keen on seeing Ivan again today. Not after chickening out last Saturday. The guy had probably given up on him by now. Turned him in. Maybe the police would be waiting when he arrived at school. Or Ivan himself, ready to tear his limbs off.

A hand waved in front of his face.

"Earth to Al! I've been talking to you for the last five minutes now!"

Alfred tried to smile at his twin, but it didn't reach his eyes. Uncle Sam briefly looked up from where he'd been typing away on his laptop.

"Anything wrong kiddo?"

Alfred shook his head before going back to slurping at his breakfast.

"Nah, nothing's wrong. Just… I was just thinking, that's all."

Matthew raised an eyebrow.

"And does this 'thinking' of yours perhaps have something to do with Ivan?"

Alfred went wide-eyed and spat out his blood. After couching and cursing (and getting lectured for using such language by his aunt), he gaped at the other, dumbfounded.

Could his brother read minds?

"Nuh uh! I wasn't thinking about him at all! Just, uh, other stuff!"

Uncle Sam looked up again.

"Ivan? I don't recall ever hearing you mention him… He's a friend of yours?"

Alfred frowned and hissed at no one in particular.

"He, my friend? Don't make me laugh! He's just some weirdo, that's all."

Matthew mumbled something, just loud enough for his twin to hear.

"A weirdo you've been spending a lot of time with lately…"

Alfred shot the boy an angry glare.

"I already told you, _Matthew_. He's just helping me with my homework."

Lady Liberty perked up at hearing him say that.

"Someone's actually helping you with your homework? Oh dear boy, that's simply wonderful! Maybe now you'll finally be able to pick up your grades! Tell me, what's he like?"

Alfred mentally cursed himself. He hadn't wanted to think about Ivan at all, let alone talk about him.

"Yeah Al, tell us," his brother insisted, reddish mauve eyes deceivingly innocent.

Alfred sighed when he saw three pairs of eyes staring at him expectantly.

"Well… For starters, he's a demon."

"A demon? Not another one like that Bonnefoy kid, right?" his uncle asked in alarm.

Sam Jones wasn't exactly happy with his adopted sons being friends with an incubus.

"No, no! This one, he… Controls ice. And stuff."

Lady Liberty looked thoughtful.

"A demon who uses ice… You said his name was Ivan? …I think I've heard Akantha(1) mention him once… Yes, I remember now. Ivan Braginski, correct?"

Alfred nodded.

"I thought so. Akantha did have some good things to say about him. Apparently he's a very diligent history student."

She smiled at her boy and ruffled his hair.

"It's good that he's helping you with your homework, Al. I'm happy for you."

Alfred was getting a little embarrassed under all the attention. It wasn't that much of an achievement to make new friends…

And he wasn't even friends with Ivan, dammit! After what happened over the weekend, they probably weren't even 'slave and slave-master' anymore.

He spazzed a little when he felt a nudge against his elbow. Matthew stared at him with big, sad eyes.

"I already told you this Al, but you know you can tell me everything. Right?"

Alfred smiled.

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry 'bout Ivan, bro. We're really not friends, he's just helping me with some stuff."

Of course that stuff wasn't homework, but he wasn't lying if he said it like that.

Kumajiro suddenly set his paws on the table.

"Why is being friends bad?"

Alfred snorted.

"Because he's weird, duh! Always so smug about himself, thinks he owns the school and that everyone should listen to him and do as he says… He's just so annoying!"

Matthew swallowed a giggle.

"You know Al? That actually sounds a lot like you before the ritual became such a big deal."

Alfred paused.

He and Ivan were alike?

…

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. No way. There was nothing he and the commie had in common.

Nope.

xoxox

Ivan didn't show up that day. Alfred was incredibly relieved over that fact. Not only was he not in jail, he also had some time off from the creepy demon. Finally.

So of course, the first thing he did with his regained freedom, was go tease Arthur.

"Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggggggggggggggggyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" he shouted at the top of his longs, joyfully leaping into the arms of one of his best friends.

Only to send the two of them tumbling to the ground.

"Alfred, you git! Get off of me!" the Brit cursed, squirming underneath him.

Alfred laughed obnoxiously as Gilbert came to the rescue and lifted him up.

"Now don't go crushing my new guitarist!" the wolf snickered.

Alfred's eyes went wide.

"Guitarist? Your? Iggy, are you two in a band?!"

After the werewolf helped Arthur up as well, the mage turned his outrageous eyebrows towards the sunny blond. His scowling was underlined with a smirk.

"Correction: we are going to be in a band. Auditions are next weekend."

Alfred smacked him harshly on the back.

"I always told you that you had to do something with that guitar of yours! You rock! So it's just you and Gil?"

The werewolf placed an arm around his shoulders.

"Tonio said he would probably join too, but only if his parents allowed it. Man, for a bogeyman he really is a sissy!"

Alfred gave him a high-five.

"Having him would be nice though," Arthur mused. "If he can get Lovino and Feliciano to attend the repetitions, then we'll certainly write great numbers…"

Alfred snapped his fingers.

"Now that you mention it! Feliciano says he's willing to give me inspiration, so maybe if I ask him to do it for you instead, he'll say yes!"

Gilbert howled approvingly.

"That would be awesome! You do that, Spatz!" Suddenly his grin went even wider. "Oh yeah, that reminds me!"

He whistled loudly while wagging his tail. Arthur and Alfred both looked up when a tiny yellow bird came flying straight at the albino.

"Gilbird!" Arthur laughed.

"What's a Gilbird?" the vampire asked, watching as the animal landed on Gilbert's shoulder.

"Right, you don't know yet! Alfred, this is my new magical pet! Say hello Gilbird!"

The chick chirped.

Alfred carefully patted it on the head.

"So you have a pet now? Cool!"

"You mean awesome!"

"Guys…" a soft voice said.

"But why name it Gilbird? Being a bit egocentric again?" Alfred snickered.

Gilbert gave him a playful pinch.

"Not egocentric, awesome! There's a difference you know!"

"Hey, guys…"

Arthur suddenly hushed them.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, eyes narrowed in apprehension.

They all glanced around.

"No, I don't- Ah!"

"What 'ah'?"

"There are two Alfreds!"

"Ah! You're right!"

"GUYS!"

Werewolf, vampire and mage nearly fell to the ground when Alfred's doppelganger raised his voice.

Gilbert blinked, and then grinned.

"Oh, it's you Birdie! Sorry for not recognizing you-"

"Now's not the time Gil!" Matthew said. "We're supposed to be in class right now! The bell rang like three minutes ago!"

The boys looked at each other, and then raced away as fast as possible.

Matthew sighed.

"We're not that much alike… Are we, Kumakoki?"

"Who?"

"Matthew…"

xoxox

Alfred was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. There were planets and stars painted on the surface, showing his love for space, as well as a self-drawn alien he'd given the name Tony. The walls were red, white and blue, the American flag pinned to one of them and posters of superheroes and McDonald's on the other three. He had a goldfish in a round bowl on his desk, which he often referred to as his whale. The current fish was Mr. Whale the 23rd. …He wasn't such a good pet owner.

Ivan hadn't showed up for the entire week. Not that he'd been paying attention to that. He was happy if anything! Finally no more feeling cold, no obnoxious giggling, no touching, …

He'd just gone back to is normal life. Which frankly meant back to Francis trying to grope him, back to daily reminders of the ritual, and back to mean whispers in the dark and graffiti on his locker. It was as if, as long as he was with Ivan, nobody dared even look his way.

But he wasn't planning on making use of that. The hero can take care of himself.

Alfred looked at his backpack and groaned. Should he make his history homework, or just keep lying here? Option one involved not getting scolded at, but since he was a failure anyway, option two was a lot more tempting.

Option two it was.

Just as Alfred closed his eyes with a content sigh, his phone went off. The teen grumbled as he rolled over and reached for the damned thing.

"Hello?" he said, as soon as he'd taken the call.

"Yo loser! The Awesome Me is inviting you to go to that new film, The Scalding! Wanna come? Artie, Kiku, Tonio and Francy-pants are going to be there as well."

Alfred grinned.

"The movies? Yeah sure, I'll come!"

And that was why one hour later, the vampire was sitting in a comfy chair, bag of popcorn in hand, waiting for the movie to begin. Gilbert and his so-called 'Bad Touch Trio' were chatting away excitedly, and Kiku and Arthur had gone off to make a quick stop by the bathroom before the film started screening.

Alfred was checking his smartphone, re-reading his last blog entry.

_**Life sucks**_

_And no, that's not a pun or a metaphor for anything. Think about it. One day we're born, and from that day on we're already working towards our death. Pretty grim thoughts coming from my mouth, you say? Well it's the truth._

_I'm going to die. Every single day again that thought keeps spinning through my head. Yet somehow, it doesn't scare me. Probably because my brain doesn't want to accept it, or maybe it's just unable to make any sense of that thought. Maybe it thinks I can still stop it from happening._

_Well, let's hope my brain is right on this one. It is the brain of a hero, so that has to count for something right?_

_Sorry for the downer, folks. But it's not like anyone reads these anyway._

_So, yeah._

_Signing off._

_-American Vamp-_

It was true. No matter how much the thought of dying should scare him, it just didn't. Maybe it would once the ritual was around the corner, but now?

The sunny blond glanced down when his phone vibrated in his hand.

Silver had replied again.

_**Macabre**_

_When did you get so philosophical, 'AV'? Your other entries usually consist of you whining and saying you hate others. Is this topic not too difficult for you? Please, enlighten me._

_-Silver-_

Alfred scoffed at the screen and immediately wrote a reply.

_**Mind your own business**_

_What's it to you, huh? I can bitch all I want, this is the worldwide web bud!_

_-American Vamp-_

The moment he posted that, he already started regretting it. The only reason he'd snapped at the other was because people had been calling him an idiot all week long, and he was starting to get sick of it.

Silver replied almost instantly.

_**Just a question**_

_I am sorry if I have somehow offended you, that is not what I wanted. I really would like to know why you are thinking about death that much. Is there some event that triggered this?_

_-Silver-_

_**Again**_

_I repeat my previous statement: what's it to you?_

_-American Vamp-_

_**Reason**_

_I read a book about death once. It talked about subjects like 'Why are we here,' 'What is the purpose of life,' 'What happens after we die,' … Rather fascinating. Yet completely illogical._

_Why should we have a purpose to exist? And even if we do, how are we to know this purpose? What happens if you fulfil it? Would you just instantly vanish? And what happens to those who do not have a purpose?_

…_I do not want to die. Not that I can so easily, for that matter. You talk about death like it is no big deal. But it is._

_So one last time, I ask you._

_Please, enlighten me._

_-Silver-_

_**No words**_

…_Wow, I think I found someone who's in even deeper shit than I am. Sorry to hear that buddy._

_And about that thing you keep asking me. I guess I don't really care because I've either given up, or I think I'm in a dream and I'll wake up any second now._

_Life was so much easier three years ago. Back when I wasn't alone. Back when people thought I was the cool kid, when everyone came to my parties and wanted to hang out with me. Ever since they stopped liking me, I guess I just stopped caring._

_I have no idea why I'm telling you this. You probably don't even really wanna know. Maybe you just have nothing better to do than listen to some stranger complaining. I dunno._

_But you sound like a nice guy, if you look past the insults. Or girl, you never know._

_So thanks, I guess. For listening._

_-American Vamp-_

_**You're welcome**_

_Thank you for sharing. And do not worry, I am a guy. ;) If you ever want to talk again, just send me a message. I am always free._

_And you are not alone._

_-Silver-_

"Hey Alfred, put that thing away! The movie's about to start!"

While he did so, the vampire felt oddly lighter than he'd felt in a long while.

xoxox

**Reviews are as always very much appreciated!**

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: Can't take my eyes off you - Boys Town Gang  
>Story: Dear Diary - ai08 (Read the diary of Alfred, a college student who is definitely not attracted to his Russian stalker.)<strong>

1) Akantha is the personification of Ancient Greece, and the history teacher in this story.

Words:

Rood: Red (Dutch)  
>Moshi moshi: Hi (when answering the phone)<br>Gomenasai: I'm sorry  
>Spatz: Sparrow<p> 


	11. Chapter 10: Rojo

Chapter 10: Rojo

**More info about this AU: since the creatures live at night, they have to get their light somewhere (since not every species has perfect night vision). Instead of using electricity, they let the magic users provide them with light as their private little energy company.**

**I also added a Family Tree and Species Chart to the prologue, which will be updated every time a new character is introduced.**

**Another little warning: some minor uncomfortable sexual content coming up, but not much.**

xoxox

Alfred was making his way home. And oh yeah, he was scared shitless.

This because the movie had contained ghosts. And if there was one thing Alfred was afraid of, it had to be ghosts.

Usually the night held no secrets for him. Ever since his transformation, his body had naturally adapted to the darkness, eyes being able to see perfectly well with only the moonlight to illuminate his surroundings. But now, with his heightened instincts on edge, every little shadow or noise made him jump. From the buzzing of a streetlight to the entrancing fluttering of a moth. Nothing was able to calm his nerves this night.

And then the whispering started.

At first, the sunny blond figured it was another one of the illusions created by his overworked mind. However, as time went by, it only increased.

It was an ominous buzzing, too low for even his sensitive ears to make sense of. It gave him goose bumps, little pins pricking in his neck.

His vivid blue spheres glanced back, but all he saw was more darkness.

The whispering grew louder after this action. And Alfred could swear he heard his name among the muttered words.

He started running. Hallucinations or not, he was tired of this shit.

As he dashed through empty streets, he swore he could hear a foreboding giggling being carried on the wind.

He turned a corner, and suddenly found himself at an empty car park. He'd just have to cross this, than a couple more streets, and he was home. Safe and sound.

Too bad his pursuers thought otherwise.

Alfred let out a gasp as something hit him in the back. He tripped and stumbled forward, catching himself just in time. Before he could do anything else though, he found himself pressed against the wall. The boy immediately started struggling to break free, but his limbs were captured and held down.

Alfred hissed dangerously once he got a look at his attackers.

It was Alice of course. Alice, whose sole purpose in life seemed to be making his life even more miserable than it already was. With her were two sturdy blonds, whom Alfred recognized as Eric and Richard, two students who always excelled at gym.

The guys smirked darkly as Alice stood before their captive.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? What're you doing, roaming the streets all by yourself? Aren't you afraid of to go out at night, you little slut?"

"How can I be a slut when I'm a virgin?" Alfred countered dryly.

For this he promptly got smacked in the face. Not the kind of smack that just stung a little bit, but something after which you actually had to spit out blood from the tooth that had just almost been broken in half.

As Alfred did just that, the boys laughed.

"Nice one, Ally," Eric commented, greyish blue eyes flickering up playfully.

"Yeah. We have to learn him his place after all," Alice said smugly, cracking her knuckles.

For a girl her size she surely hit like a professional boxer.

Alfred felt the blood draining from his already pale face when her smile grew. Adrenaline raced through his veins when he saw Richard lick his lips, eyes shooting over his figure.

Alice stepped closer and let her long fingernails spider along his neck. Alfred couldn't suppress the involuntary shudder and twitching his body made in result, making the bullies giggle in delight.

"Oh, silly boy. You should have just stayed home if you weren't planning on giving up your virginity tonight," the girl sighed happily.

Then she began unbuttoning his shirt.

Alfred nearly exploded.

The teens started when he suddenly ducked and gave their leader a headbutt. He made use of their momentary stupefaction to pull an arm loose and shove Eric off.

However, before he could fully escape, Richard recovered from the shock and pounced him. Alfred gasped when his head met the concrete, the collision disrupting his vision and thought processes.

By the time he was fully conscious again, the boys had once again pinned him against the wall. His shirt was discarded, and Alice stood before him. To his grim satisfaction, she was panting heavily and looked a lot less like a superior predator now.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that, asshole. You can make sure of that."

"If any of you fucking touches me, you're dead! You hear me?!" Alfred spat, eyes scorching with rage.

"Oh, and what will you do about it?" Richard commented.

Alfred was about to protest when the boy cut him off by bowing his head and licking his collarbone.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Alfred yelled, a new level of anguish added to the whirlpool of emotions.

When Richard locked eyes with the sunny blond, ruby-red glinting teasingly, it began to dawn on him.

This was not just some silly game.

These guys meant business.

"What are we doing?" Eric laughed. "We'll show you."

And as their leader took another step closer, Alfred went wide-eyed with horror.

Alice smirked. Her reddish-green eyes were locked with his, round cheeks rosy with excitement, ebony curls escaping from behind small pointy ears, lips unveiling wanton canines.

Alfred could do nothing to stop her as she leant forward and connected their mouths. He squeezed his eyes shut, body spazzing at the unwanted touch. But Richard and Eric increased the pressure on his arms and legs, making it absolutely impossible for him to fight back.

However, the sunny blond refused to part his lips as Alice tried to stick her tongue in. At his stubborn behaviour, the girl harshly twisted a nipple. Alfred gasped in pain, allowing the senior vampire to force her way inside.

He would have none of that.

Alice shrieked when Alfred bit down on her tongue. She quickly pulled back, gagging and spitting out blood.

The bullies left him no time to rejoice in this small victory, as Richard abruptly planted a fist in his stomach. Alfred grunted and instinctively tried to curl in on himself, but his limbs were still restrained. A wave of nausea washed over him, but he swallowed it back with the greatest of efforts.

Alice wiped her mouth with the back of a hand, face stuck on an angry scowl.

"If you do that one more time, you fucking _bitch_, I'll kill you. Do you understand?!"

Alfred pursed his lips, giving her one of his most venomous leers.

Alice simply laughed. And then she ripped his pants off of his body.

Alfred could feel the adrenaline pumping at an even faster rate now. He tried to wriggle free once more, but without success. He hated how the other studied him, devoured him with greedy eyes.

Alice snorted.

"Superman underwear? It seems our virgin is even more of a child than we thought boys."

Richard and Eric snickered while Alfred flushed in embarrassment.

He could feel tears pricking in his eyes, but refused to let them out. This was bad enough already without him bawling like a sissy twelve-year-old. If he couldn't get away from this, he was going to take it like a man.

And then later on, he was going to make them regret ever picking on him. No, they would regret ever having been born!

Because… Because…

Because what?

It was hopeless. He couldn't make them pay for their sins. Nor could he tell anyone, that was far too humiliating. And with the way things were now, he probably didn't have much longer to live in this society anyway.

There was nothing he could do.

Nothing but watch in pure terror as the girl reached out to touch him, ready to crush his spirit in one of the worst ways possible.

Richard now had a camera pointed at him, while Eric grazed a thumb over a blue vein in his neck, nearly drooling in anticipation. The blond almost choked in his disgust, bile filling his throat. He just wanted to die, right here and now.

Alfred closed his eyes the moment he felt a hand on his crotch, palming him through the fabric of his underwear. He willed himself not to give any reaction. He refused to give them that pleasure.

He- He…

When the tears finally spilled from under his eyelids, his breath hitching in despair, something unexpected happened.

The four teenagers were abruptly hit by a blast of icy cold wind. Alice straightened her back in surprise, making Alfred cry out in relief.

The look on her face turned into one of fear as a large hand grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and lifted her off the ground.

Her frightened greens met the blazing violets of Ivan.

Richard and Eric immediately let go of Alfred to save their leader. However, Ivan's scarf suddenly began to have a life of its own, as it wrapped itself around their ankles and lifted them up too; two brawny adolescents now hanging helplessly upside-down in the air.

Alfred had never been so happy to see the demon before.

"What do you think you are doing to my koshka?" his voice whispered, a heavily accented growling to express his building rage.

Alfred watched from where he sat leaning against the wall, a little dazed by relief while trying to catch his breath.

Big snowflakes were twirling around Ivan in his personal little tornado. The car park was darker, lights all extinguished, making the Russian's eyes even more fluorescent than usual. He was like a tiger, muscles tightened and on the verge of roaring. Alice was his helpless prey.

"He deserved it!" the girl spat in a last act of defiance.

Ivan smiled.

Not that creepy little smile of his, nor a happy one. It was a smile that screamed homicidal maniac.

"Wrong answer, blyadischa."

And with that his fingers began pressing down on her frail little neck, pressure cutting off her windpipe. The blood was rapidly drained from her features. Richard and Eric wanted to protest, to jump in and save her, but their bodies had been paralyzed by Ivan's powers.

It was then that Alfred began focussing on the situation. He became aware of the cold, but knew it wasn't directed at him. He was able to stand up, wobbly legs barely supporting his weight. His mind registered the look on Ivan's face, and he knew what was going to happen. He had seen the other kill before.

Yet, even though Alice sort of deserved it, he wasn't going to let that happen again.

Alfred shakily stepped forward, forgetting all about his abandoned clothes and the antagonizing frost biting at his naked skin. There were more important things to worry about.

"Ivan," he called, his voice hoarse due to his earlier distress.

The Russian didn't notice. Alice's eyes slid shut, her pale lips turning blue.

Alfred reached forward, sticking his hand right into the tornado and grasping the demon's shoulder. His arm stung painfully, but he ignored that as well.

"Ivan," he tried again, louder this time.

Finally the ashen blond picked up on his presence. He turned towards the vampire. With that, he momentarily eased his grip on Alice's throat. They didn't hear her shocked breath-intakes, entirely focussed on each other.

Ivan's face read nothing but regret as he glanced at Alfred's uncovered torso. The boy quickly retraced his arm and slapped it over his chest, hiding his tortured nipples. His cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Put her down, Braginski."

Ivan's eyebrows knit together.

"Nyet."

"Yes. You have to."

"She hurt you."

"But you still have to put her down."

The vampire's voice was but a whisper, directed only at his…

What was Ivan to him?

Once, he would have called him an enemy. But now? They definitely weren't friends, but 'enemies' somehow didn't quite fit their situation anymore.

The Slavic boy's face morphed into something arrogant yet deranged.

"And tell me, Alfred. Why should I take orders from you? Please do enlighten me."

Why? That was a good question.

In Ivan's eyes, he was probably worth shit. A toy to play with, a pawn to use, a puppy to punish if it disobeyed.

To Ivan he was next to nothing. He knew that.

And yet…

"…Please?"

Alfred had long since mastered the puppy face. But now, with the remnants of tears still in his eyes, lower lip trembling ever-so-slightly and vulnerability written all over him, it had all the more effect.

He hated that he looked like that, but it worked nonetheless.

Ivan's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. His hand unclenched itself, letting Alice fall unceremoniously to the ground. He glanced over at her briefly, then back at Alfred. For a moment he looked like he was about to embrace the smaller teen, soothe him and comfort him, whisper gentle words of understanding into his ear.

Then the moment was gone, his features hardening.

"All right. I will not kill them. But they do deserve punishment."

And with that he turned around, harshly gripped the girl's locks and bashed her head against the concrete. She was immediately knock-out. The two boys were dropped to the ground, after which they shared a similar fate.

Alfred gaped at the scenery, not wanting to comprehend.

…Well, at least he hadn't killed them, right? That had to be some sort of achievement.

Right?

Alfred suddenly became very aware of his state of undress when Ivan once again looked at him, eyes scanning his body for injuries and a lot less set on murder.

The boy spun on his heels and went to collect his discarded clothes. He was lucky they hadn't taken his underwear, or his glasses for that matter. This would've been a lot more difficult (and embarrassing) without them.

While pulling on his t-shirt, his ravaged jeans were suddenly held out to him. Alfred stifled a yelp when he noticed Ivan staring at his boxers. He swiftly grabbed the pants and pulled them on as fast as he could. Only when the zipper was up could he relax again.

"…Thanks," he mumbled, reality crashing down on him.

Ivan had seen him in the most embarrassing position possible. He felt so humiliated, his face growing darker with every passing minute. Now what was he supposed to do?

Ivan said nothing. He had picked up Richard's camera, and was now looking at its contents.

Alfred flushed even further. He knew exactly what the demon was seeing when his lips pursed and eyebrows tightened.

"On second thought, I think I _am_ going to kill them after all."

Alfred weakly put a hand to his chest. He wasn't nearly strong enough to stop a creature Ivan's level of skill, but it did make him pause.

"Please don't. They're just kids, they don't know any better."

Alfred had no idea why he was protecting them. Part of him wanted them to die, begged for it, wouldn't be satisfied until he saw their blood and intestines splattered over the wall, their entrails decorating the car park.

But another part of him was trying to reason with his sanity. If he were to let them be murdered now, he knew he was going to lose it. Wouldn't be able to take the consequences. He had already gone through a lot tonight, and he was just so tired. Killing a couple of stupid teenagers (dangerously demented bullies, but teenagers nonetheless) was just as bad as killing helpless humans.

On top of that, he hated himself for having Ivan save his ass once more. He felt weak. He didn't deserve to have his bullies punished.

'_And you call yourself a hero. Don't make me laugh.'_

He watched as Ivan crushed the camera under his boot, destroying the evidence.

He felt relieved and thankful, but couldn't forget Alice's words. He really was a fair maiden, having to be rescued by her knight in shining armours.

And he hated himself for it.

Alfred abruptly turned around and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Ivan called after him.

"Home," was his monotone reply.

He could feel the cold before hearing footsteps beside him.

"What are you doing?" the blond sighed, not having the energy to fight anymore.

The Russian clacked his tongue in disapproval.

"Please, Alfred. Did you really think I was going to let you walk home by yourself after that? You disappoint me."

A disappointment. Wasn't he always just that?

"…Am not a girl," he muttered, wrapping his arms around his body to give himself a hug.

"Nyet, but you_ have_ just gone through a rather traumatizing experience. It is my duty to assist you home."

Alfred said nothing. Didn't think either. He was just sooooooooooo tired.

The blond was stopped in his tracks when the demon suddenly stepped in front of him. His eyes remained trained on the ground, seeing their feet standing close together.

Small snowflakes were twirling downwards.

Alfred was startled when Ivan suddenly pulled him into a hug. Those big arms enveloping his body, awkward and clumsy at first. But when he began rubbing soothing circles over his back and murmured something in his native tongue, Alfred felt a sob bubbling up. He pushed his face into the other's coat, hiding from his all-knowing gaze. It wasn't exactly warm, but comforting nonetheless.

Ivan smelt of blood, alcohol and snow-covered pine trees. And his coat was way softer than he'd expected.

…What was Ivan to him?

xoxox

They stayed like that for quite some time. It was only after Alfred had cried his heart out, that he became aware of their position. It was only then that he pulled himself free, a hand wiping away the remains of his tears, finally feeling a little strength returning.

Alfred couldn't look the other in the eye, suddenly very self-conscious.

"So uh… Where have you been last week?"

Not waiting for an answer, he slowly began walking again. Ivan followed, not saying anything for a while. When he did speak, it was hesitant.

"I… There was something that I had to do. I needed more time than was given to me, so I decided to skip classes for a short while. But I am back now, da?"

Alfred could imagine the smile on his face when he uttered the next sentence.

"I am surprised you mention my absence. Did you miss me, dorogoy?"

The vampire huffed indignantly, hands shoved into the pockets of his pants.

"Hell no Ruski! Me, missing you? Don't make me laugh!"

Ivan giggled.

"Good! I see you are back to your loud self again. Very good!"

Alfred was dumbfounded. So the Russian had only said that to lift his spirits?

…Huh.

"Why do you care anyway?" he mumbled, both pleasantly confused and feeling a little awkward.

"I already told you. I have my reasons. I am not planning on telling you those reasons."

Alfred turned his head to glare at the taller creature.

"You know, you really piss me off sometimes."

Ivan chuckled breathlessly, lips curling around his perfect teeth and eyes shining.

"I know, koshka."

Alfred flung his hands into the air. "He knows! The son of a bitch knows!"

Then he turned to the other once more.

"So if you know, why not do something about it?"

Ivan lowered his eyelids.

"Maybe because I find you endearing when you are 'pissed off'."

Ivan giggled softly when Alfred's cheeks tainted red and he sputtered something incomprehensible.

"Screw you, ya damn commie!"

"Tyi simpatichnyi," Ivan shot back.

"I don't know what that means dude!"

Ivan simply laughed some more as they entered Alfred's street. The blue-eyed creature glared angrily at him.

"Fine, we're at my place. You happy now?! You got to bring the damsel in distress home. Well good for you!"

When Alfred stormed off, ready to dramatically blast through the front door and slam it shut, he noticed the other was still following him.

"What are you doing?"

Ivan's amethysts curiously studied the white-bricked façade. The house looked simple from this angle; a stone path leading up to a glass front door, flower boxes with red roses under the windows, a couple of bushes shattered across the front lawn.

"I have never been to your home…" the demon muttered, eyes clinging to the house.

Alfred crossed his arms.

"Well duh, it's not like I ever invited you. Now shoo! Get off of my property!"

Ivan didn't move. He simply placed a hand on the wooden fence, caressing the smooth surface. Alfred was about to start yelling at him again, when the front door swung open.

"Al, is that you? I heard shouting outside and…"

The rest of Matthew's sentence trailed off when he saw who was with his brother.

"Oh… Hello, Ivan."

The demon tilted his head, taking in the other's appearance.

Alfred sighed impatiently.

"That's my bro, Matthew. You've seen him before."

Ivan smiled when realization hit him.

"Ah, comrade Matvey! Privet!"

Matthew shyly bowed his head. "Um, hello…"

He then looked at his brother.

"Is he here to make 'homework'?"

Ivan's eyes widened momentarily, but then he smiled slyly. He had always been one to catch up fast, after all. Before Alfred could deny anything, the demon laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Da, homework! Fredka definitely needs to do the improving on his educational knowledge."

Alfred's eyebrows shot up, but when he saw the warning glance sent his way, he decided to play along.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm gonna give school another chance."

He hoped his twin couldn't see through the forced hero-smile plastered on his face. And even if he could, the boy hoped he wasn't going to ask any questions. He wanted Matthew to trust him on this one (not like he himself trusted Ivan, but he didn't want anybody else interfering).

He grabbed the ashen blond by his wrist and reluctantly started pulling him inside. It was then that Matthew noticed his ruined pair of jeans.

"Alfred!" he gasped. "What happened to your-"

Ivan laid an icy cold hand on top of his head, instantly cutting him off.

"It was just a little accident, da? Nothing to worry about, Matvey."

Matthew swallowed heavily. His eyes shot to his brother, worry written all over his face. He finally mustered up enough courage to glare at the demon.

"And you promise me it wasn't an accident _you_ caused?"

Alfred froze, left foot lifted on the first step of the stairs. He prayed for his brother's life that the demon wasn't going to have another one of his 'episodes'.

Ivan's gaze intensified, the grip on the other tightening. Matthew couldn't help but tremble in fear, although he didn't look away. The worry for his twin was greater than such petty things as being afraid.

Alfred mentally sighed in relief when Ivan smiled. Not a creepy smile, but something verging on comforting.

"Little Matvey. I solemnly swear that I was not the perpetrator." His smile widened. "And do not worry. Those fools will not hurt Alfred again. Not unless they want to die."

Matthew shuddered and nodded. He knew the demon meant what he said, saw nothing but absolute hate for the real wrong-doers in those violet orbs.

"R-right," he softly squeaked. "Sorry for falsely accusing you."

Ivan's trademark-smile returned.

"No need to apologize. I understand that you are worried. Now, I believe Fredka and I have homework to do?"

Alfred quickly guided him upstairs, before anything else could happen. He wasn't planning on ever telling anyone what had taken place that night, and he'd rather they not ask about it.

Once in his room, he flickered on the lights and plopped down on his bed with an exasperated groan. Ivan looked around for a moment, before walking over and carefully sitting down on the edge of the mattress.

Alfred weakly waved his arms.

"So, you're inside now. Happy?"

"Da," the Russian said quietly.

Alfred folded his hands on top of his stomach, the touch reminding him of the punch earlier that night. He also remembered his ruined pants.

"So uh, I gotta go change these real quick. You just sit here, and don't touch anything. 'Kay big guy?"

Ivan nodded absentmindedly, more interested in his collection of games and dvds at the moment.

"Okay then. Be back in a jiffy."

The teen took some clean clothes and made his way to the bathroom. He wasn't planning on changing in front of Ivan, especially not with the chilliness his presence brought about.

Once out of his old clothes, he suddenly felt the need to throw them all away and take a long, hot shower. Yes, nothing too bad had happened. Ivan had been there to save him before it could escalate. But he still felt molested, still saw Richard licking at his neck and Alice touching him. He needed to wash those memories away asap.

When the sunny blond returned to his room, he found the Slavic teen staring at his goldfish. He had a finger down the bowl, careful not to touch the water and freeze it.

"Hey, get your hand out of there! What did I say about you not touching shit?!"

"I think your fish has passed away," Ivan commented, poking at the lifeless animal.

Alfred walked over and poked the thing as well.

"…Oh. Shit. Well, I guess that's it for Mr. Whale the 23rd."

Ivan cocked an eyebrow, lips twitching up.

"Why did you name it-"

"Don't ask dude. Just know that you're standing in the same room as an infamous fish murderer."

Ivan giggled while Alfred scooped his ex-pet out of the bowl and threw it in the trash can. No ceremonial burial. He'd given up on that after Mr. Whale the 15th.

"Oh yes, I still wanted to ask you. Why does Matvey think I am helping you with homework?"

Alfred shrugged.

"Well, I needed to tell him something. Couldn't just say you decided to make me your slave and stuff."

"…Da…"

They both stayed silent for a few moments. Alfred began to squirm uncomfortably, not liking it when nobody said anything. He jumped when Ivan began talking again.

"Well, I guess there is only one thing we can do then."

"Oh? And what's that, Braginski?"

Ivan grinned excitedly.

"I am going to help you study of course!"

Alfred didn't know what to say to that.

Ivan nodded to himself. "With my aid, you will soon get better grades. Do not worry dorogoy, I will help you become a true vampire."

Alfred stuttered. "You- You're joking, right?"

"Nope~"

"But why?"

Ivan simply laid a finger over his thin lips.

"Do not ask. We need to focus on the results, not the reasons. Let us just say I do not want you to be my slave anymore. Instead you shall be my student. And there we have it! New deal is sealed, terms are agreed on-"

"No! Terms are not agreed on! I really don't get you, you fuckin' commie! First we hate each other, then you want me to suffer and shit, and now you're saving me and you actually want to help me with my _homework_? You make no freakin' sense! Make up your mind already, it's really too confusing to keep following your mood swings!"

Ivan placed a hand over his mouth, his eyes darkened. For a moment Alfred thought he'd gone too far, but the demon did nothing to hurt him.

"Has it occurred to you, dearest Alfred, that maybe I was just bored? Maybe you were the perfect toy to play with, to entertain me. And maybe, just maybe, I feel like returning the favour. How does that sound for an explanation?"

The blond blinked dumbly. Ivan removed his hands, waiting for a response.

"…All right, that does sound like something you would do. It's still weird as fuck, and not normal at all."

Ivan tilted his head to the side.

"I never said I was normal, dorogoy."

He then sat down on the bed again, patting the mattress next to him, inviting the other over.

"Let us begin now, da? I have heard your class has a task for history due next Monday? Let us start with that."

Alfred stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head and complying.

Apparently Ivan was his teacher from now on.

He didn't know if that was an improvement.

…

At least he wasn't lying to Matthew anymore.

…

Yay?

xoxox

_**Tip of the day  
><strong>_**Song: Everybody Hurts - R.E.M.  
>Story: Let it Snow! - ProcrastinatingPalindrome (Lovely RusAme that <strong>_**will**_** put a smile to your face. America asks Russia to the ballet, and this finally gives Russia time to acknowledge the feelings that have been budding for several centuries now.)**

Words:

Rojo: Red (Spanish)  
>Blyadischa: Whore<br>Tyi simpatichnyi: You are cute


End file.
